


Under the Apple Tree

by Time_Thief



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Disabled Character, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, OC MC, POV Antagonist, Physical Disability, alternate season 4, and consequences, there will be duels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-02-15 16:11:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 77,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18673075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Time_Thief/pseuds/Time_Thief
Summary: Rahlin is in Domino City for one reason: humanity's extinction. She has two hundred souls to reap if she wants her dream to become reality. DOMA's recently acquired KaibaCorp hosting a tournament is the perfect lure to draw willing duelists closer. It was going so well until Rahlin reunited with the Egyptian prince. Her ancient debt makes reaching her goal all the more difficult.





	1. Ripped Sky

            Millions of stars winked down on Domino City’s neon night lights. The sky rippled like a dark sea, and waves of stars crashed against each other. A rupture tore open the sky like a busting seam. Bright azure with puffy, lazy clouds was caught between the nighttime’s deep navy and sparkling stars.

            Yugi Muto blinked, rubbed at his eyes, and pushed up on his tippy toes to get a better look out the window of the game shop. The clashing of daytime and nighttime remained, and the dividers emitted black sparks like lightning into both anomalies. Yugi’s jaw slacked. He said, “What’s happening? It’s like there’s another sky breaking through ours!”

            “I’m not sure.”

            He glanced to his right. The pharaoh’s transparent figure stood in the same blue-striped pajamas Yugi wore. The pharaoh, however, stood straight and was not alarmed. Yugi found himself longing for the pharaoh’s bravery for the fiftieth, sixtieth time since they’d met? Yugi said, “Does this have something to do with the Egyptian god cards being stolen?”

            “The events occurred too close together to be a coincidence,” the pharaoh said. “With that and another appearance of a power capable of sealing souls, I’d say we have a new enemy on our hands.”

            Yugi gulped. The black lightning was thickening in a swarm. The blue sky was almost blotted out, and he could no longer see any stars. He felt as though his hope was suffering the same fate. They’d barely defeated the last enemies that had hunted the pharaoh, and Yugi and his friends never found victory without casualties. For a split second, he considered running away from Domino City.

            He watched the pharaoh. His expression was harsh as he observed the darkening skies. He was always, always ready to face whatever life threw at them, which was exactly why the world – and Yugi – needed him. Yugi copied his confident stature and said, “Whatever happens, we’ll protect what matters most. What do we do?”

            “I’m not sure what we _can_ do,” the pharaoh responded.

            “What’s all the racket in here?” Yugi’s grandpa stepped into the shop and wiped sleep from his eyes. His gray hair spiked in all directions. “You woke me up with your muttering.”

            “Sorry, but… look!” Yugi pointed to the sky. His grandfather reached for the windowsill and leaned upwards like Yugi had moments ago.

            “Er, what am I supposed to be looking at?”

            Yugi rolled his eyes and said, “The giant rip in the-”

            “He can’t see it, Yugi,” the pharaoh said. “We’re the only ones.”

            Yugi exhaled, his eyes wide. “Um, sorry, grandpa. It’s nothing. I saw a shooting star and got a little excited, haha.”

            He laughed and ruffled Yugi’s hair. “I understand. Just try to keep it a little quieter from now on, alright? I hope your wish comes true.”

            As he padded back to his room, Yugi thought about what wish he would’ve made. He just wanted everyone to be okay. He wanted anything but for his friends to pay the cruel prices of the Shadow Games again. If he could take it all upon himself, he would.

            The black lightning darted in and out of the bright, blue sky like a sewer’s thread. The tear in the night sky was repaired. Yugi wondered if his wish had come true after all.

            An enormous crackle of ebony lightning tore from the sky and shattered the surface of the distant sea. Yugi could see the tremendous splash it caused from where he stood. The following boom of thunder was loud enough to force Yugi to press his palms to his ears.

            The pharaoh hadn’t moved an inch. His violet eyes thinned. “That cannot mean anything good. However, we cannot take action. I’m sorry for the interruption, Yugi. You should try to rest. It’s all we can do.”

            Yugi tore his eyes away from his reassuring friend and looked to the horizon. The scattering of the storm’s darkness had left the sky clear and glittering like diamonds spread upon black velvet. Yugi could not forget the blotting darkness, though; he could not steal his thoughts back from lingering on what that darkness had brought.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            A trio of stone serpents coiled from the ceiling. Their petrified eyes, though lifeless, seemed to be carved with malice. Three cards rested upon their forked tongues. The central was colored like blood, which outlined the spiked form of Slifer the Sky Dragon. The leftmost item sparkled like spun gold in the torchlight, and the brilliant feathers of The Winged Dragon of Ra matched. The final card was cobalt like the coldest stone in solidarity with the expression of Obelisk the Tormentor.

            “Wow. Three trading cards. So much to show after thousands of years. I am impressed, patron.”

            The man kneeling before the cards flicked back the hood of his tan robe. His turquoise eye darkened while light caught in the golden eye. “Do not make me regret recruiting you. Perhaps I should have neglected to restore your tongue.”

            The girl beside him scratched at the band of her white eyepatch. “Just kidding around. Geez. I’m still trying to gain a grasp on the whole… ‘depth perception’ issue.”

            “You’ll get over it.”

            “No sympathy for dear old me after all we’ve been through together?”

            “Sympathy is borne of a deserving creature, which you are not.”

            She rubbed her upper arms, disturbing her obnoxiously long and baggy t-shirt. “Did it get colder in here, or was it just you, patron?”

            “I go by Dartz,” he said, the words clipped.

            She laughed. “Of course you do! So why’d you bring me here to look at three pieces of cardboard, ‘Dartz?’”

            Dartz folded his hands behind his back. “You would do well not to insult the gods of Egypt, Rahlin.”

            “Mhmm, right! The Egyptian gods are looking very rectangular today!”

            “These are the true vessels of the gods, taken from the pharaoh himself.”

            “Oh. Oh!” Rahlin adopted an awkward grin. “Uh, sorry about the whole ‘cardboard’ thing. Honest mistake. It was a joke, really! Please don’t smite me or anything.”

            “I long for the days when you were silent and obedient, my child. Speaking of which.” He reached behind him and shoved a black metal box into Rahlin’s hands. “The chosen method of combat in this era is Duel Monsters. I imagine you haven’t forgotten the rules. I’ve taken the liberty of removing the white cards, since you aren’t allowed to use them here.”

            “You mean you messed with my decks?” She peered into the box, which held several stacks of cards. “Hm. We have to win a duel to steal a soul? Seriously? That seems so much more tedious and inefficient.”

            “I concur, but we are bound to the specified combat of their culture. That reminds me. The blood would not come out of your clothes. You’ll need to purchase some new ones.”

            Rahlin’s nose crinkled as she observed herself. She grasped the hem of the giant shirt she wore. “I’m stuck in Rafael’s shirt? You’re a whole barrel of disappointment today.”

            “The feeling is mutual, I assure you. Choose something professional. You’re a representative of my company, and I have a reputation to uphold. One of the other Reapers will take you shopping.”

            “The humans?” she muttered. “Do they know what they’re gathering souls toward?”

            A smile curled on Dartz’s face. “Try asking them. It would do you well to get to know your coworkers.”

            She wound a strand of her long, white hair around her finger. “You mean I actually have to, like, interact with them? But you know I’m- and they’re- um, I don’t see us getting along.”

            “Be civil,” he warned. “Whether you like it or not, they are allies.”

            “’Whether you like it or not,’” Rahlin repeated in a high-pitched, mocking tone. She walked down the long hallway flanked by stone columns. Fires blazed in the torches. A wall of lavender light stretched into the infinite blackness above. Violet ripples danced from Rahlin’s touch. “Does this thing work?”

            Dartz rolled his eyes. “Obviously it _works_ , my child.”

            “A girl can’t even ask a question without feeling like an idiot,” she murmured, and it was in a futile attempt to forget the rapid beats of her heart. To step beyond the portal meant entering a new world. What little she knew likely wouldn’t be of any help.

            “Go forward without hesitation,” her patron called after her as though hearing her doubts. “You have all you need, Rahlin: your deck, your duel disk, and your path towards fulfilling your greatest desire.”

            Bright green light flashed at her wrist, and a compacted Chaos model duel disk materialized. Determination replaced the question in her expression. “How many souls?”

            Dartz gestured to the wall behind him. Thousands of stone tablets held the still and frightened images of soulless humans. “By my count, at least a couple hundred more.”

            Rahlin set her jaw and stepped through the portal. Her body suspended in ethereal, lavender light. The sensation of falling jolted her mind back to reality. A doorway shattered as she fell through it and spat her out sideways. She landed on her back, groaned, and clutched her tailbone. She mentally cursed Dartz, sure that he had somehow planned this.

            “Graceful entrance.”

            She glanced up, and red blossomed on the deathly pale skin of her cheeks. Her audience consisted of Rafael and an unfamiliar, blonde woman in a purple leather outfit. They were on the opposite end of a lengthy, carpeted room. A long table with ten chairs filled most of the space. The woman said, “You don’t need to rub it in the kid’s face. She’s clearly embarrassed.”

            Rafael crossed his beefy arms over his chest. “You haven’t heard? That thing’s no kid.”

            She shot him a sour look, neared Rahlin, and knelt beside her. The woman offered a hand and said, “Don’t pay him any mind. I’m Mai Valentine. I hear we’ll be working together.”

            Rahlin caught onto how this woman softened her voice as though she were truly addressing a child. Her face twisted in disgust. She stood up on her own and brushed past Mai without a word. Rafael grunted and said, “Told you it’d be a waste of time.”

            Mai’s fingers curled into a fist. “I tried Miss Nice Gal, kid. We’re on strict orders not to let you go anywhere alone. Turn around unless you want this to get real ugly.”

            Rahlin broke into a sprint and shoved through the door to the stairwell. Mai pressed a couple of fingers to her forehead and sighed. Rafael said, “Great job. I’m blown away by the strategy you bring to the table. Good thing Valon asked you on. Not sure what we’d do without these people skills of yours.”

            “Can you do anything besides stand around and criticize?” Mai snapped. “You could have stepped in at any point if you had a better idea.”

            Rafael shrugged his broad shoulders. “We’ll track her down. She stands out, if you couldn’t tell.”

            Mai looked beyond the set of open acrylic double doors to the empty hallway beyond. “I don’t get you. She looked like a normal kid to me.”

            “You haven’t seen beneath that eyepatch of hers,” Rafael muttered. He removed a pair of sunglasses from his pocket and started towards the elevator. The tails of his navy trenchcoat flared behind his stride. “Let’s find that feral animal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- The usual: Constructive criticism in comments is extremely valuable and appreciated! If you have anything to say or suggest, feel free to! I am always trying to improve and need your help! I make a point of responding, too
> 
> \- This fic is a STANDALONE work, meaning you don't have to read any of my other fics to understand what's happening. That said, this does continue from an Atlantis AU, but the important differences will be explained to you in time
> 
> \- The physical disability tag does NOT refer to Rahlin's missing eye and rather to an accident that occurs later in the story (to be SURE you can stomach something like that)
> 
> \- I update on Wednesdays. Thank you for reading! (◕‿◕✿)


	2. Questionable Competence

            Duke Devlin whistled a tune as he strolled through Domino City’s largest green park. The sunshine through the leaves and the sweet scent from the bouquet he carried were a gentle refrain from his industrial commute.

            A bench by the path ahead caught his eye, and the sight of the person sitting on it inspired him to stop. In the early afternoon, the other parkgoers were young mothers with small children or dog walkers. The girl on the bench was neither; judging by her giant, tan shirt that struck Duke as a potato sack dress, she could have been homeless.

            He glanced around and, spotting a nearby trashcan, stashed his bouquet behind it. Duke raised his chin, closed his eyes, and whistled as he walked forward. He peeked at her as he strolled past. The girl had her knees hugged to her chest, and she stared squarely at them with her one eye. Duke stopped in his tracks and spun on his heel towards her. “Hey.”

            A green leaf spiraled from the tree above her and landed undisturbed upon the crown of her white hair. Duke cleared his throat. No response. He placed more urgency and volume behind the word when he repeated, “Hey!”

            The girl jolted to attention. Her blue eye sharpened while scanning him up and down. He basked like a god soaking in praise and flashed a bright white grin. “What’s someone like you doing out so early? You cutting school?”

            Her eye thinned. He laughed and slid into a comfortable sitting position beside her. “Hey, hey! No worries. I am, too. You keep my secret and I’ll keep yours, aight?”

            Duke tossed her a wink. Her unamused expression didn’t so much as twitch, which was fine with him. He wouldn’t expect a complete stranger to be immediately friendly. There were ways to further break her ice. He palmed a die, set it on his fingertip, and spun it like a top. “Wanna see a magic trick?”

            Her head lifted. The sign of piqued curiosity inspired Duke’s smile. He snapped the fingers of his left hand and curled his right, causing the die to tumble down his sleeve. He caught it in the crook of his elbow. He showed her his empty palms. She cocked her head, and her eye widened. “Pretty cool, right?”

            Her glare was softer this time. He took the opportunity to extend his hand and say, “The name’s Duke. Duke Devlin.”

            She stared at his hand for a solid minute before accepting. He was surprised by the rough callouses on her palms. When they separated, the die was left in her hand. She observed its red dot on the top face with wonderment. “I’m… Rahlin.”

            “Rahlin! That’s an interesting name.”

            “I’m from a different-” Her eye unfocused for a moment. “Country.”

            “I see! You’re new in town, huh? I could show you around, if you’d like.” He fired another wink, but she was unmoved. “Anyway, uh, what happened to the eye, if you don’t mind me asking?”

            Rahlin’s finger moved to touch the soft, white cloth of her eyepatch as though it had a mind of its own. She murmured, “I lost it in war.”

            “War? How old are you, exactly?”

            She thought for a beat. “Seventeen.”

            “What country lets seventeen-year-olds go to war?”

            Rahlin pursed her lips. “You come off as awfully judgemental.”

            Duke waved his hands in front of his face. “I’m just making conversation, I swear!”

            The die was pinched between Rahlin’s first two fingers. “Don’t worry over it. To tell the truth, I’m also the judgemental type. Could I show you a magic trick, too?”

            A corner of his mouth quirked up. She was willing to play after all. If he hadn’t managed to pull someone out of their shell so often before, he might have been shocked. The ball was in her court, and he hoped for her to strike back in perfect form. “Show me what you’ve got.”

            “Okay, but to show you, I have to duel you.” His black eyebrows lifted. He noticed the navy duel disk on her left arm and wondered how he’d missed it before. _Had_ it been there before? Rahlin said, “You are a duelist, yes?”

            “Am I a duelist,” he mocked. He dropped his backpack, unzipped the top, and pulled out his standard white duel disk. “You’re looking at none other than the creator of Dungeon Dice Monsters!”

            “The hell’s a Dungeon Dice Monster?”

            “You seriously don’t-” He huffed a sigh through his nostrils. “C’mon! It was a whole fad! No way you haven’t heard of it!”

            “You seem wounded,” she murmured. Rahlin leapt to her feet in a single, fluid movement. Her navy disk extended in a sickle shape, and its turquoise card zones highlighted yellow. “Care to prove yourself?”

            Duke attached his duel disk to his left arm. “You’re on!”

            As his disk hummed to life and its card zones extended, Rahlin exclaimed, _“Orichalcos trace the monster! DUEL START!”_

            Duke blinked. “What?”

            “Is that not… Do people not say that anymore?” Rahlin coughed into her fist. Pink touched her cheeks. “Forget you heard anything. You can have the first turn.”

            “That’s what I like to hear!” He swiped a card off his deck, smirked at it, and slapped it onto his monster card zone. “I summon Gator Dragon in attack position!”

            A ruby-red dragon with silver talons and underbelly stretched its wings in the sunshine. The display showed the Normal Monster’s attack and defense as 1800 and 800. A holographic card appeared behind it. “I set a face-down and end my turn. Do your worst!”

            Rahlin slipped a single card onto her duel disk. Neon green energy fired along the circuits, and the matching dragon’s hologram blazed to life on her side of the field. Purple mist curled from beneath the flaps of its torn, white wings, and it watched the world with hollow eyes. The skeletal rider raised a gleaming rapier into the air, and its 1900 attack shone beside it. “I summon Paladin of Cursed Dragon and attack Gator Dragon.”

            The Cursed Dragon launched a streaming breath of sapphire flames towards Gator Dragon. Duke’s monster shattered, and the attack barreled through the shards to singe his life points. As the blue fire loomed closer, Duke swore the day was becoming hotter.

            The blast struck him square in the chest, and he staggered back. He placed a hand over his chest and heaved a difficult breath. Either Kaiba had made these dueling systems more realistic, or Duke’s mind was playing tricks on him. He removed his shivering fingers from the soft fabric of his shirt.

            Steam rose from the impact point.

            He sucked in a quick breath and looked to his opponent. Rahlin had a grin on her face. It didn’t strike Duke as the smile a preppy duelist would have after taking 100 life points off a pro’s counter. There was something unnerving about it, something unsettling about the way her eye curled with the grin instead of upturning with happiness. She said, “I think I’ll end my turn.”

            Duke’s raven ponytail whipped around as he shook his head. It was just a consequence of too many nights staying up to the a.m. watching horror movies. He said, “My draw. I’ll use Monster Reborn to restore Gator Dragon from the graveyard and chain my Quick-Play Spell, Adamantite Sword Revival! When a Dragon-type is special summoned from the grave, I can tribute that dragon for an upgraded version!”

            Gator Dragon transformed into a phoenixian burst of golden flames. Coals hardened to diamonds among the heat. The fire scattered to reveal a teal dragon. Glittering diamonds were encrusted on its back. The new monster reared its head, tossing thousands of skittering lights when its gems reflected the sun.

            “Diamond Head Dragon’s attack is equal to the original dragon’s attack plus a 1000 point boost! That’s a fat 2800 attack for you! Diamond Head Dragon battles Paladin of Cursed Dragon!”

            Duke’s dragon soared into the air and flapped its wings. Tiny diamonds caught in the gust of wind and cut through Rahlin’s paladin. She held her forearms in an “X” as the attack buffeted her. The rocks bounced off her duel disk. Rahlin’s life counter dropped to 3100. He said, “I’ll end my turn there.”

            “That combo was impressive. You’re a good duelist.”

            Duke’s eyebrows lifted. He was used to opponents spitting insults when they lost the lead. “Like I said: I made a spin-off of this game. I know Duel Monsters as well as its creator! I’ve beaten all kinds of pros – Joey Wheeler, for one!”

            She wasn’t moved by his claim. Duke questioned whether that was something to be proud of. Rahlin picked a particular card from her hand and smiled. “I like your confidence, Duke Devlin. If you are the one to lose this duel, your soul will make excellent fuel.”

            “Excuse me?”

            The Field Spell slot on her disk shot out, and she inserted her chosen card. “I activate the Seal of Orichalcos!”

            A pair of neon green rings spun at her feet. They grew to encapsulate the duel field. A point formed at her end of the circle and darted from end to end, drawing the pattern of a six-pointed star.

            Duke couldn’t recall a similar Field Spell from all the Battle City matches he’d seen. He figured it was a part of some popular archetype in whatever country Rahlin was from. He didn’t find it very flattering, what with the bright green catching on the sweaty patches of her pale skin and making her look even more sickly. She still had that smile, though, the one that made him nervous for reasons he couldn’t pinpoint. Duke cleared his throat and said, “What’s a Field Spell supposed to do for an empty field?”

            She slipped a card into her spell/trap zone as answer. “I use Foolish Burial to send a card from my deck to the graveyard. Next, I’ll summon Zombie Master and activate his effect. By discarding a Monster Card, I can special summon any monster in my grave. I exchange a life for a life to reanimate Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon!”

            The gray-haired necromancer raised his hands. Jagged streams of purple magic seeped into the earth, and Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon rose from the grave. Duke rolled his eyes at the bootleg version of Joey’s ace monster. The thing was literally falling apart. As he thought it, another piece of the Zombie Dragon’s armor detached and fell to the ground. “Big whoop. That dragon’s just as weak as its normal version.”

            “That’s before my Field Spell’s effect applies. The Seal of Orichalcos increases my monsters’ attack by 500 points.”

            “Five hundred?” Duke exclaimed. A verdant haze drifted up from the Seal and engulfed Rahlin’s monsters, gifting them a green glow. Red-Eyes attack increased to 2900 – 100 more than Diamond Head Dragon’s – and Zombie Master’s boosted to 2300.

            “Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon attacks Diamond Head Dragon, and Zombie Master attacks you directly!”

            The pale blue flames gathering in the Red-Eyes’ throat were visible through its decayed neck muscles. Diamond Head Dragon melted. Zombie Master leapt with the encroaching fire breath and swiped at Duke. The force knocked him off his feet. His back slammed against something, and he sank to the ground. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple. “Those monster attacks were real!”

            “The first half of my magic trick: for every life point lost, we take the proportionate amount of damage.” She held up her right arm. Blood trickled down from hairline scratches – the result of Diamond Head Dragon’s earlier attack, Duke realized. The life counter on his duel disk read 1500. The pulse of pain from touching his fresh bruise matched.

             He stood steady on his feet. He’d seen enough of Yugi dealing with this occult shit to know he didn’t want anything to do with it. Walking away would be easy. He had nothing at stake in this duel. Duke backed away. His shoulders bumped into a wall. He flipped around, but nothing was there. He extended his hand, and his fingertips pressed against an invisible wall. The edge lined up with the Field Spell, the Seal of Orichalcos.

            “I thought you were an honorable duelist,” Rahlin said, “yet you give into your petty fear so easily.”

            “Not wanting to die is petty? I don’t want anything to do with whatever messed up game you’re playing!”

            “Die? No, no, no. If you lose, you won’t _die_.” She placed a finger to her chin and said, “Yet. Perhaps it would be easier if I showed you. ‘Two worthy souls meet in combat upon sacred, scarred earth.’”

            Portions of the six-pointed star on the ground blazed brighter. A third of the circle outside the Seal filled with mysterious symbols. Rahlin continued: “‘The bested becomes as sacrifice towards the world’s purification.’”

            Most of the star burned a brighter green, and two-thirds of the outer circle gained inscriptions. She finished, “‘The Orichalcos will not cease until a soul is Sealed.’”

            The Seal of Orichalcos’s shine was brilliant, sickly, and blinding. Duke shielded his eyes and said, “What did you just do?”

            “I activated the Seal. Whoever loses this duel will have their immortal soul ripped from their body and given to a higher purpose. Until that purpose is fulfilled, the loser’s body will be an empty husk.”

            Duke recalled the still and silent image of Mai Valentine after her Shadow Game loss. If he lost, he’d suffer the same fate.

            If. She’d kept using that word. He said, “What if I win?”

            Rahlin shrugged her shoulders. “I lose my soul, and you’re free to go. Like I said: you’re a good duelist, so it could very well happen.”

            Duke’s thoughts drifted to Marik and how he’d twisted the Shadow Games such that he never lost anything. His opponents, meanwhile, were forced to survive the extreme stress he placed them under. “I really doubt there’s not some extra trick here.”

            She raised her chin. Her one eye was a dark turquoise through the Orichalcos’s influence. “No tricks. We play our cards. One of us wins the duel. One of us loses. For me to not share your risk would be dishonorable. My turn is over.”

            “What’s honor to a soul stealer?” he questioned while adding a fifth card to his hand.

            “Soul Reaper,” Rahlin corrected while holding up her scythe-like duel disk. “Honor and duty are everything. My duty is why your soul is required.”

            “What duty is that?”

            She held up a finger. Her expression was unreadable. “To wipe humanity off the face of the Earth.”

            Duke stepped back. This chick was somehow crazier than vein-face Marik. At least taking over the world made _sense_. “That means you’ll die, too!”

            Rahlin laughed as though he’d told a joke. “It’s your turn, you know.”

            Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he scanned his hand. “I use the spell card Summon Dice! By paying 1000 life points, I can roll a die. Based on the result, I can special summon monsters from my hand. Roll!”

            A giant die spun on its corner and came to a stop in the middle of the field. The top had five black dots. Duke pumped his fist. “That means I can special summon a high level monster from my hand without tribute! I choose Orgoth, the Relentless!”

            A purple-plated knight tossed his sword in the air and caught it again. He pointed it at the Zombie Dragon’s chest and loosed an unintelligible growl. “You may not be sweating yet since his attack’s at 2500, but it won’t stay that way for long! I activate Orgoth’s ability! I can roll three dice, and Orgoth gains the result times 100 as attack power!”

            A trio of dice spun on the field. Duke bit his knuckle as they came to rest.

            Six.

            Four.

            Five.

            “Woo! We high rollin,’ baby! Orgoth gains 1500 attack, skyrocketing to a massive 4000 total! Orgoth, the Relentless attacks Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon!”

            His knight’s forward march caused tremors with every step. The silver blade sliced upwards, cutting Zombie Dragon in half. Rahlin scrambled away from the halves of her fallen monster. They crashed onto the pavement, and the ensuing shockwave knocked Rahlin into the Seal’s invisible bounds. She rubbed at her aching back and peeked at her life counter. 2000, exactly half of what she started with.

            “Bet you weren’t expecting a shift in momentum when you played that field spell,” Duke said with a smirk. “I set a face-down, summon Yaranzo in defense position, and end my turn.”

            Rahlin drew. “I’ll use Zombie Master’s ability again. By discarding a monster, I bring Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon back again and attack Orgoth!”

            Duke snapped his fingers as his trap flipped up. “Nice try, but no dice. Mirror Force destroys all your attack position monsters.”

            Rahlin was impassive as her monsters broke into shards caught in the summer breeze. “I summon The Lady in Wight in defense position, set a face-down, and pass turn.”

            “Right back to me! I sacrifice Yaranzo to summon Strike Ninja. Next I’ll be using Orgoth’s ability again!”

            The dice trio appeared again. Rahlin not so subtly bit her lip as she watched them roll.

            Two.

            Three.

            One.

            Orgoth’s attack increased to 3100. “Ninja destroys your creepy skeleton lady, and Orgoth attacks directly!”

            Strike Ninja ripped through Wight’s 2200 defense with his 2350 attack; a pair of shurikens tore her cobweb-decorated throne to pieces. Rahlin chewed the inside of her cheek as Orgoth stepped towards her. She stammered, “I- I activate Half Shield! Orgoth’s battle damage is halved this turn!”

            A heart-shaped contraption appeared between Rahlin and Orgoth. Half the metal heart was see-through. Orgoth’s blade clanged against the shield. The strength of his attack tossed Rahlin off her feet. She landed hard on her elbow, and her life points fell to 450.

            “Ha, check that out! Just like that, I’m in the lead!” Duke jeered. Rahlin struggled to stand. Her legs trembled. “If you were telling the truth, you signed off for your own soul to be taken away!”

            Rahlin grasped her aching arm. “Wow. You really are… a great duelist. I didn’t expect to have to leave so soon.”

            “Uh, wait wait wait. This is normally the part where the bad guy gloats and pulls out some crazy strategy.”

            “Sorry. I’m kinda bad at being a bad guy.” She revealed the card she had drawn for her turn: Magical Stone Excavation. Duke recognized it as allowing its user to recover a spell card from the grave by discarding two cards. Since it was the only card in her hand, it was useless. “I lost.”

            Duke shook his head and said, “I don’t get it. Why’d you do this? I was trying to be nice to you!”

            She lazily tossed her left hand into the air. “I sincerely doubt that’s the truth, but even if it were, I wouldn’t care. It doesn’t make a difference to me whether it’s my soul lost or yours. I just…”

            She laughed a little and covered her mouth with her hand. “I just don’t _care_.”

            The whites of Duke’s eyes reflected the Orichalcos light. Why did _he_ have to be the one to run into the crazy chick from the country of gives-no-fucks? At least she wouldn’t be a problem anymore, and Yugi wouldn’t have to lift a finger this time. Duke smiled, saying, “Prove it and pass your turn so I can end this crazy duel.”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Rahlin sighed. She observed the spell card in her hand and thought about how she should have removed it from her deck the first time it lost her a duel by being a dead draw. She shrugged her shoulders. At least it was a good duel. Though it _was_ unfortunate her patron went through all the trouble of breaking the seam between the two worlds for her and she had already disappointed him.

            _Think again._

            Her breath caught in her throat. Her surroundings shifted to pure black. Her patron’s voice spoke in her mind, but its “S” sounds were more pronounced than usual: _You have not disappointed me because you have not lost._

            “Aw. I’m kinda flattered. I mean, I know it’s only ‘cause I haven’t technically ended my turn, but still: it’s sorta sweet.”

            _I am not speaking to you as a part of some pep rally_ , Dartz hissed. _Your self-doubt rings like funeral bells to my ears. You have not disappointed me yet, and you have not lost. You have merely convinced yourself otherwise because you believe yourself to be a loser._

            Rahlin cleared her throat, tugged at her shirt’s collar, and muttered, “Harsh.”

            _I implore you to think twice, my child. If you end it here, who will perpetuate our dream?_

            A spark lit up her eye. How silly of her to forget that, even if she placed no value on her soul, a choice few others were relying on her. She needed to care for their sakes.

            And care she did. Her heart thumped against her chest. Did she have a way out of this? Her hand held no options, but the deck she used relied more on a different pile of cards. There it was, the answer buried in the grave like her belief. Nervous laugher tumbled past her lips. “Wow, I’m an idiot.”

            _Just finish the duel,_ Dartz grumbled. Reality phased back in. Her eye adjusted to the bright sunshine filtering through the green leaves above. Across the dueling field, Duke Devlin’s brow furrowed.

            “I was wondering if you’d, like, conked out.”

            Rahlin straightened her posture and said, “Last turn and the turn before, I discarded two different monsters using Zombie Master’s ability. This turn, I call upon their aid! I use the effect of Mezuki, removing him from play to special summon a Zombie-type from the graveyard! I choose Despair from the Dark!”

            Rahlin’s shadow widened to a pool around her feet. The display read 2800 attack, which increased to 3300. Duke shouted, “But- but you said you lost!”

            “I was wrong,” she said. “Despair from the Dark attacks Orgoth, the Relentless.”

            The inky black shadow shifted forward along the pavement. It stopped behind the purple knight and rose into a massive, black blob. The yellow holes of its eyes and mouth caved upwards like a trio of smiles. Clawed, violet hands shot forward, grabbed Orgoth’s head, and snapped its neck. Duke’s life points dropped to zero.

            Despair from the Dark turned on him as the Seal of Orichalcos shrank to capture his form. Rahlin stepped forward to stand beside her shadow beast. The monster’s body hitched as though laughing at Duke’s attempts to break free of the Seal; he pounded his fists against the invisible walls and bashed his shoulder against them.

            “It really was a good duel,” Rahlin told Despair from the Dark. “I’d say it’s a shame, but… he is human.”

            She shrugged her shoulders. Her monster flipped up its palms, its triple grin unchanging. Duke pressed his fingertips against the Seal’s bounds. His mouth opened and his emerald eyes sparkled. Before the words could escape, neon green light shot from below. The Seal of Orichalcos disappeared, and Duke Devlin’s empty husk collapsed on the hot pavement at Rahlin’s feet.

            “Duke!”

            Rahlin glanced back. Despair from the Dark had dissipated with the other cards on the field. A red-haired girl ran to where the monster had been, covered her mouth with her hands, and said, “What happened to him?”

            Rahlin said nothing and walked away. The girl knelt by his side and cradled his empty body. “Duke? Hey, speak to me! What’s wrong? Lady, please tell me what happened!”

            Rahlin reached behind a trashcan, picked up the hidden bouquet, and tossed it to the girl. She caught it with one hand, and when she saw the flowers, her mouth trembled. Rahlin said, “He won’t wake up.”

            The girl choked on tears and attempted to sputter through sobs. Rahlin was already leaving. One hundred and ninety-nine to go, she thought. Damn, this was slow. There had to be a quicker way to harvest souls, some way to gather several duelists in one place…

            A hand clamped on her arm. She instinctively ripped it away. It took Rahlin a few moments to recognize the blonde woman decked out in purple leather from earlier. Mai said, “What did you do?”

            “I won a duel.”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Mai’s focus darted between the strange girl she’d been forced to watch over and the tragic scene down the path. Serenity Wheeler cried into Duke Devlin’s shirt. Mai said, “You poked the wrong beehive, kid. Let’s get out of here.”

            Rafael posted up on the other side of the kid and glared down at her. “Don’t bother trying to run.”

            Scarlet flushed the kid’s cheeks. She scratched the back of her head. “Um, I won’t. I only ended up here because I kind of got lost.”

            “How’d you go from that to dueling Duke?” Mai asked.

            “Yeah, uh, see… That guy came out of nowhere and started bothering me. He had this look in his eye that-” She gulped, and her voice was quiet. “N-never mind.”

            _Feral animal_ was how Rafael had referred to this girl. She was afraid, so she lashed out. The claim may not have been as off-base as Mai had initially thought. Mai said, “Stay close to me, kid.”

            As the trio exited the park, Mai was surprised to see the kid following orders. Rafael and his menacing look were at her back. Mai almost laughed at the idea that she was the leader in their little chain gang. They wound through Domino City’s shopping district, which was packed with people.

            Mai was watching the store signs when she heard a _bong_ and a whine. Rahlin was standing in front of a street lamp, her face pinched, and she rubbed at her forehead beneath her white bangs. “I- I could swear it was further up…”

            Rafael raised an eyebrow, and Mai rolled her eyes. She made sure the girl was closer to her when she swung a right and pushed open a pair of glass doors. Refreshing air conditioning greeted her. She pushed her long, blonde locks away from her sweaty neck and said, “Here we are, kid. This superstore’s got every outfit a woman could dream. Pick out whatever you want, and DOMA will pay for it.”

            Her jaw dropped. “DOMA?”

            “Dartz’s company, the one we all work for,” Rafael said.

            The girl suppressed a giggle. “He named it DOMA? Seriously? I didn’t think he had a sense of humor.”

            “Hurry this up,” Rafael snapped. “I don’t have all day.”

            Mai called over an attendant and shooed the kid towards her. She followed with reluctance. Rafael leaned against the back wall, and Mai joined him. She said, “She seems kind of goofy, don’t you think?”

            He grunted and removed his sunglasses. “Don’t let it fool you.”

            “It?” Mai shifted her hair so it fell over her shoulder. “What _is_ beneath her eyepatch?”

            Mai swore she saw an instance of fear flash down his face. “Dartz had me present when he opened a black portal on the floor. It crawled out like a demon from hell. Its face…”

            The silence extended long enough to make her uncomfortable. Rafael said, “I’d rather not relive it.”

            She was about to ask more when the attendant returned with the kid. A black pantsuit and white button-up replaced the shirt she’d borrowed from Rafael. She grasped her tie with black-gloved hands and stared at the floor with wide eyes and a light blush. Mai said, “Lookin’ sharp, kid.”

            Her head lifted, and her eye shone. “R-really?”

            Mai tried to hide her surprise. It was just an offhand comment, but the kid seemed genuinely flattered. Mai didn’t have the heart to tell the truth, so she said, “Yeah.”

            The kid sprouted a smile that was actually sort of sweet. “Thanks. It’s really uncomfortable, but I guess it’s worth it.”

            As the attendant guided them to a cashier, Mai asked, “Why’d you go with a suit?”

            “My patron-” She bit her lip. “Dartz said I had to pick something professional. I told that lady, and this is what she suggested.”

            Mai passed the credit card to the cashier. There were a couple of matching suits in hanging clothing bags. She thrust them to Rafael on the way out and smiled at his annoyance. She asked, “Anything else you need, kid?”

            The kid’s eye was on the clouds. The skyscraper’s reflections created a thousand fiery sunsets. A man walking past bumped Rahlin’s shoulder. She glanced at the crowd streaming around her, and her focus dropped to her feet. She wrapped her arms around her midsection and muttered, “I, um, I don’t think so.”

            “Get a move on, then,” Rafael said. “If you remember, you have the honor of keeping it, Valentine.”

            “Yeah, yeah, don’t remind me. My apartment’s this way.” Mai waved him down the street. The kid took a few moments to notice them moving. She rushed after them.

            _Bong_. Mai stopped in her tracks. The kid had run into the same exact pole. Rahlin placed a hand on her forehead and loosed a frustrated, “Goddammit.”

            Mai couldn’t hold in her laugh. “Having some trouble, kid?”

            “Look, I just- I’m not used to the…” She pointed her finger between her eye and eyepatch. The kid glanced to a store window and did a double take.

            “You might want to stick closer than you have been,” Mai said. Rahlin muttered an agreement, but her focus was still caught on the window display. Mai followed her line of sight. The central item in the display was a plush toy resembling the Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon. “You want that?”

            “Huh? N-no.”

            “Watch this,” Mai whispered to Rafael. Mai pushed through the store’s revolving doors and returned minutes later with the plushie. She presented the toy to the girl, who hesitantly accepted. She stared at it, her mouth slack. The kid hugged it to her chest and squeezed her eye shut. Mai nudged Rafael with her elbow. “See? She’s just a kid.”

            He grunted, retrieved his sunglasses from the folds of his trenchcoat, and pushed them up his nose. She wondered why he needed them in the fading sunlight; the sky’s orange was shifting to violet wash on the clouds. “How long are you planning on wasting my time?”

            “You’re a real bundle of joy, aren’t you,” she grumbled. She raised her voice to say, “Remember to stay close, kid.”

            Mai’s heels clicked on the pavement, and Rahlin’s steps followed closely and arrythmically. Rafael watched in silence from a distance. Mai was starting to wonder if he did anything besides offer the occasional criticism and/or complaint. She rounded a building, flashed a key fob at the reader attached to the steel door, and held it open. “You can go now, Rafael.”

            He stretched his arm towards the kid and dropped the pair of suits without waiting to see if she’d catch them. She had to dive forward to keep them from hitting the ground. Mai gave her no points for grace but she certainly showed a lot of spunk. The girl draped the hanging bags over her arms, and the Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon plushie rested on top. Mai jerked her chin towards the stairwell. “This way, kid.”

            The kid hustled into the building and up the stairs after her. Mai’s apartment was on the third floor at the end of the hall. Mai fussed with the lock as the kid looked over the open-air balcony and watched the first stars twinkle into the beginnings of night.

            “Here we go. Home, sweet, home.” Mai swung the door open. The kid padded inside. A chair, table, and couch were arranged in front of a TV. The kitchen was further back, and the single bedroom was attached on the right. “Hope you like that couch, ‘cause it’s your place to crash on. The only bathroom is attached to my room. If you go in late at night you’ll have to be quiet.”

            The couch and the chair were a matching floral pattern over a crème backdrop. The kid tilted her head and pushed on the seat to test the cushion. Soft or firm, Mai didn’t really care. Putting up with another person in her living space was more than enough trouble already.

            Mai dropped her keys on the white kitchen counter, entered her room, and shut the door. She changed into comfier clothes: a lacy white cami and shorts. One of her earrings was in her palm when she heard the yelp.

            The bedroom door slammed open. Mai placed a hand over her chest, closed her eyes, and released a breath. The kid had been spooked by the yellow-eyed calico cat sitting by the couch. Mai said, “Oh, it’s just Elegant. I thought you’d hurt yourself or something.”

            The cat jumped onto the couch and sniffed at the cuffs of her suit coat. Rahlin pulled off her glove and scratched Elegant’s cheek; she leaned into Rahlin’s touch with enthusiasm. Mai commented, “Huh. She doesn’t usually like people.”

            “That makes two of us,” the kid muttered.

            Mai rolled her eyes, strutted to the fridge, and pulled out a bottle of red wine. It was going to be one of _those_ nights. She poured it nearly to the glass’s brim. Mai wasn’t planning on having to deal with this edgy teenage emo bullshit again for at least twenty years if a guy worth enough persuaded her into having kids.

            Hopefully never. Kids were high maintenance, and she had enough of that in her life already. Yes, never was the best option. She stole a sip and observed the crimson lipstick stain she left behind with a pout. “So, kid, what do you do for fun? You wanna watch a movie or something?”

            She was staring at the cat occupying her lap space. “What’s a movie?”

            “Oh, ha ha, so funny,” Mai mentioned before taking another sip. She lowered the glass to behold Rahlin’s expression of utter bemusement. “Wait, seriously? Where are you from again?”

            “A, um, another country.”

            “…You know, kid, the point of telling a lie is to make it not so obvious you’re lying.” The kid blushed and dropped her stare. Mai sighed and said, “Guess that means I get to pick.”

            Mai popped in one of her favorite romcoms. At least this day would have something pleasant. Until the kid started talking over it, anyway. “Erm, why is he doing nice things for her if he says he loves her?”

            “That’s generally the method for winning over someone you care about.”

            “Why would you care about someone you love?”

            Mai shot her a glare. “Those mean the same thing.”

            “Oh.” The kid blinked several times. “Ohhh. That makes more sense.”

            “What did you think it meant?”

            “N-nothing,” she said quickly. “But, if that’s right, why does he keep bothering her?”

            “What do you mean ‘bothering?’”

            The kid shut her mouth and grasped her tie. “Um, well, she kept telling him to leave her alone but then he kept showing up. I was just thinking that I’d be sort of scared if I was her.”

            Mai took a brief moment to consider the difference between “romantic pursuit” and “stalking.” She shook her head. “It’s just a movie, kid. Besides. A guy going the extra mile even if you close yourself off is sort of attractive, don’t you think?”

            “It’s a slippery slope.” The kid hugged herself. “A dangerous, slippery slope.”

            Mai huffed. “It’s at least better than someone ignoring you when you’re supposed to be close.”

            “So…” The kid was staring at Mai’s Orichalcos pendant. It glowed sometimes, and now just so happened to be one of those times. The kid’s reaction made it seem dangerous as radiation. “Why’d you join DOMA?”

            Mai crossed her arms over her chest. “Because some idiots out there seem to think there’s no way to make it in this world unless you band together with other idiots. Dartz is giving me the chance to prove that little crew wrong. _Personally_.”

            The venom injected into her last word had the kid flinching. “What’d they do to you?”

            “They made promises and didn’t bother trying to keep them, no matter what _I_ was going through.”

            She twiddled her thumbs. “I get why you’re angry. When you make a promise, it’s as though a new universal law is written. To break it is inexcusable. Do you, uh, know what happens when you win a duel, though?”

            Mai set down her wine glass and waved her hand dismissively. “Lose their soul, empty people, making a better world, whatever. It’s not as important as proving myself. What about you, kid? Are you just here because Dartz is your dad?”

            A laugh choked out of the kid’s attempt to hold it back. “He’s not my father. He’s a big snake. We’re more like business partners.”

            “Why would you be business partners with a snake?”

            “I don’t discriminate.”

            Mai rolled her eyes and rose from her seat. “I’m hitting the hay. Big day tomorrow.”

            She retired to her room, flipped off the lights, and used a reading light to look through her deck. She paused on the Field Spell, the Seal of Orichalcos. One more day.

            One more.

            She set her deck on her nightstand and closed her eyes. The usual trick of counting her inhales and exhales had her drowsing by twenty. Silence stuttered through the ticks of the clock on the wall. Seconds turned to minutes turned to hours. A gasp of breath drowned out the second beyond four a. m. Mai’s face contorted, and her hands clawed at the sheets.

_You are just so_

            Cuffs locked onto her wrists and ankles, locking her onto cold stone.

_Helpless and alone, and_

            A golden point pricked her neck. Blood dribbled down her collarbone.

_I am enjoying dismantling you piece by piece, Mai Valentine._

            Mai shot awake. Moonlight glinted on whites of her eyes and sweat sticking to her skin. She rubbed her forehead with one hand while the other drifted down. She felt fur. Elegant was curled against her, and Mai’s touch incited her gentle purr.

            Mai exhaled and ran her fingers through Elegant’s fur. It was a nightmare. That’s all. It wasn’t reality, not anymore.

            A knock on the door caused her and Elegant to jump. Mai opened it up to find the kid on the other side holding a steaming mug. Mai snapped, “What do you want? It’s late.”

            The faint light from the kitchen illuminated the bag under the kid’s eye. She held out the cup. The faint scent of chamomile drifted from it. “I heard your screaming stop, so I figured you could use this. Something calming like tea before bed and having a companion with you can help with the night visions, on occasion.”

            Mai’s eyebrows lifted as she accepted the hot tea. The cat. Elegant hadn’t been there when she went to sleep. Had the kid really brought her in when she heard Mai screaming? And- “You didn’t know what a movie was, but you know how to work a stove?”

            The kid quickly pulled a glove from her pocket and slipped it over a few suspiciously red fingers. “Yes, well, kettles are normal, at least. Um, could I ask you something?”

            Here they came, Mai thought, the accusations of “Why are you keeping me up with your shrieking? What’s wrong with you?” This was exactly why she didn’t want to house whatever Dartz was bringing onto DOMA. She squared her shoulders. “Shoot.”

            “Who’s Marik?”

            Mai deflated into wide-eyed confusion. “No one. He is absolutely _no one_.”

            “Okay,” the kid said, and she turned back to the couch like that was that.

            “Wait. That’s all you’re going to ask?”

            “Um, yeah.”

            The kid shrugged her shoulders like what was happening was just another part of life. Mai felt as though the wind had been knocked out of her. She held the mug close to her nose and took in the steam warming her face. “What’s your name, kid?”

            “Rahlin.” She held out her gloved hand and said, “Rahlin Orichalcum.”

            Mai shook her hand. The second their fingers touched, Rahlin ripped hers away with a high-pitched whine. She held out her burned fingers and bit her lip. A tear sparkled at the corner of her eye. “D-dammit. I totally forgot…”

            Mai laughed. She shook her head and said, “You’re alright, Rahlin.”


	3. Forever is a Long Time

            Morning dew trickled down the foggy windowpane. Silence settled between the beeps of the monitor in the hospital room. Though the lights in the room were dimmed, Yugi could see the doctor’s fallen face; he and his friends matched it. She said, “I’m sorry. The cause of his comatose state is a mystery. We’ll keep an eye on him, but the outlook is grim.”

            The gloom weighed heavier on the gathered group as the doctor took her leave. They watched Duke’s painfully pale face framed by his strewn black locks. The taller, blond-haired boy said, “Y’know, I wasn’t the guy’s biggest fan, but damn. Isn’t there anything we can do for him?”

            “I’m sure there is, Joey,” Yugi said. “This goes beyond medical phenomenon. I’m certain this has to do with the people who stole my god cards. When they talked about taking our souls, I doubt they were joking.”

            “You mean those biker freaks took Duke’s _soul_?”

            “With Yugi around, I won’t put anything out of the realm of possibility,” Tristan said. “That doesn’t really mean I wanna get tangled up in it again, though… ‘Specially if that means I’ll end up like dice boy over there.”

            Téa elbowed him. “Hey! Where’s your sympathy? Duke’s our friend!”

            “Yeah, yeah, you’re right. Sorry. It is pretty sad he can’t even yell at me for calling him that. Hey, I got it! I’ll tell him about it after he’s all better.”

            “Least you got the optimism down, huh,” Joey commented. “Spread some of that to Serenity. She hasn’t even left her room since it happened, and I can hear her cryin.’”

            Tristan stood straighter and clapped a hand on Joey’s shoulder. “I’ll do it, and I’ll rescue Duke to boot. How’s that sound?”

            “Too good to be true – ‘specially when it comes to you.”

            Before they could get into another round of bickering, Téa cleared her throat loud enough to say she meant business. She readjusted her bag over the shoulder of her pink blazer. “If we stay longer, we’ll be late for school.”

            Yugi sighed. “I won’t be able to focus. On top of everything else, Kaiba’s company is supposedly announcing a new tournament today.”

            “Already? Battle City finished up, like, a couple weeks ago!” Tristan exclaimed.

            “Rich boy’s oblivious as always. He’s tryna set up another chance to take the crown from Yug. God cards or no god cards, he’s got no chance.”

            “Didn’t you hear?” Téa asked. “Kaiba doesn’t own his company anymore. I hear some foreign firm bought out majority. He might not have anything to do with it.”

            “I’ll believe that when pigs fly,” Joey mumbled.

            “Joey! It’s in the newspaper we’re supposed to read for our business course!”

            “You actually read that thing?” he said.

            Tristan snorted. “Nerd.”

            “I don’t think actually doing the classwork makes her a nerd,” Yugi said.

            Joey placed his hand on Yugi’s back and gently pushed him towards the door. “Let’s save the arguing ‘till _after_ I’ve had my coffee, kay?”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            The bright lighting in the museum dulled Rebecca’s wits. She rubbed at her temples, but her drowsiness remained. She might’ve dozed off right there if it weren’t for the unnatural cold emanating from the frozen stone tablet in the back of the room. She resisted the urge to rub at the goosebumps on her legs.

            A woman wandered into the exhibit. Rebecca adjusted her red-rimmed glasses and ran to meet her. “Hi there! Are you here for the Egyptian section or the limited-time Atlantis showcase?”

            Rebecca knew her bias was obvious, but it _was_ limited-time! In a way, she couldn’t wait to blow this big city and hit the road again. There were a couple of upsides to Domino City. She hadn’t seen _him_ yet, though. Would she? Was he even-

            “I’m just looking.” Rebecca had almost forgotten the white-haired lady was there. She scratched beneath her eyepatch, and her eye’s focus wandered about the room. “What’s up with the ice? Something to preserve it?”

            “Nah,” Rebecca said. “The other day, a weird thing happened, and the tablet froze. Nobody knows what’s up and they’re too afraid to touch it.”

            “Interesting,” the woman said. “Those are the god cards, aren’t they?”

            “The very same ones used in the Battle City finals! They all belong to Yugi Muto now.” Rebecca set her hands on her hips, puffed out her chest, and said, “I know him personally, by the way.”

            “Huh.” The woman walked past Rebecca, who promptly slumped from her proud stance. The lady’s gloved fingers skimmed one of the glass cases. She said, “This poster…”

            Rebecca zoomed to her side. The drawing on the papyrus depicted an arched window with the design of a man whose arms folded over his chest. A large crowd was drawn at the window’s base, and a few had expressions of turmoil and appeared to be shouting. Symbols were written across the top above the drawing.

            Rebecca said, “Pretty neat, huh? Its meaning is a mystery. Every archaeologist has a different theory on what it means since there’s not exactly a Rosetta Stone for the Atlantian language. My father, Professor Hawkins, believes it’s related to their religion and the drawing is a stained-glass window of one of their saints.”

            The woman traced the curved outline of the window. “Hmm. Actually, that’s a boat. This is a poster for a king’s funeral. It’s tradition of royalty to attach stone blocks to their limbs and push them out to sea on a special boat made of tightly packed salt, which would slowly dissolve. What you see at the bottom is the people of Atlantis sending him off, and those two in the crowd are professional mourners. They’re hired for important people’s funerals, and they absolutely wail their hearts out to make the whole thing seem sadder.”

            “That’s quite the theory,” Rebecca muttered. Who’d this lady think she was? It was sort of impressive how she was able to come up with bullcrap like that on the spot. How did some woman in a suit have time to screw around with museum attendants, anyway?

            “Rahlin!” A tall, blonde lady stood in the doorway. She snapped, “We’re going to be late if we stay any longer.”

            “Coming!” the eyepatch lady said. They walked out together. Rebecca glanced at the parchment beneath the glass. A boat, not a window. What a ridiculous theory.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Rahlin struggled to keep up with Mai’s gait. Outside the museum, Mai said, “Why bother with the old stuff? Better to look ahead, I’d say.”

            “Well, you do have to know where you’re coming from to know where you’re going!”

            “That isn’t true at all,” Mai grumbled. Rahlin didn’t know how to respond. She thought it sounded nice, at least. “Anyway, we’re headed to the DOMA building. This is where we’re headquartered, so make sure you remember the way. We can’t have you getting lost again, kid.”

            Rahlin gulped. She couldn’t even remember their route to the museum, but she was too afraid to admit it. While she was trying to put together which turn they’d taken from the apartment, they reached the DOMA skyscraper. Rahlin hadn’t paid any attention. Mai said, “Top floor from the elevator.”

            The metal contraption rumbled before rising. Rahlin had a death grip on the handle attached to the side. Mai rolled her eyes at her. They exited on the boardroom floor. Mai strutted through the glass door and sat at the end of the long table. At the opposite side, Dartz sat at the head, Rafael was at his right side, and two other guys were on his left. One with spiked up brown hair said in a chipper voice: “Hiya, Mai! Good to see ya!”

            Mai said, “Are we starting yet, or what?”

            The guy sighed, and his shoulders drooped. Dartz said, “We’re waiting for-”

            _Smack!_ All eyes focused on Rahlin outside the transparent wall. She rubbed her red nose and murmured, “Ow, ow, ow.”

            Mai hopped to her feet, swung open the door, and said, “Get the hell in here right now.”

            Rahlin hurried inside, took a seat a number away from Rafael and Mai, and tapped her fingers against her legs without looking at anyone. Rafael said, “Can the meeting begin _now_?”

            “Yes,” Dartz sighed. “Our goal, as you know, is to duel. To this end, DOMA has acquired control of a company known as KaibaCorp.”

            The red-haired boy at the end of the table snickered. “I can only imagine his reaction!”

            “The young CEO has attempted contact, which I have ignored. Now, down to business. Later today, I will be holding a press release announcing a new tournament to be held in Domino City.”

            The spiky-haired guy’s arms slacked to his sides. “Anotha? Battle City jus’ ended a few weeks ago!”

            Rahlin twiddled her thumbs. She mumbled, “Why is it always a tournament?”

            “It’s the best way to draw in willing duelists,” Dartz explained, “especially when the prizes are so luxurious as the three Egyptian god cards or fifty-one percent stake in KaibaCorp stock.”

            Mai exclaimed, “You’re giving those away?”

            “But of course. By the time the tournament is over, the material items of your human world will be meaningless.” Rahlin couldn’t contain her excitement. The others around the table seemed to have brushed off the statement, but Rafael appeared equally exhilarated.

            Dartz continued, “Your job as Soul Reapers is to defeat as many duelists as possible over the course of the tournament. I have structured the preliminaries in a way designed to help you. All participants are placed into power rankings based upon previous placings. If an entering duelist has no prior placements, they are added to the list on a first-come, first-serve basis. Two wins are required to enter, but after two losses, the duelist is out.

            “Here’s where you all have the advantage. If a player of a higher power ranking challenges a lower player, they cannot refuse. A higher ranked player can refuse any offers from lower duelists. If Yugi Muto enters, for example, he can decline any challenge extended to him if he so chooses. There is no cap on the number of entrants.

            “No cap,” the brunet commented. “This’s gonna be mental!”

            “You are all pre-registered along with a few select duelists contacted before the official announcement. Conveniently…” Dartz smiled at the Reapers gathered at his table. “You are all towards the top of the rankings. Challenge and gather souls to your heart’s content.”

            Mai leaned forward on her elbow. “You said this announcement happens when?”

            “Today at lunchtime,” Dartz said. “Registration is open to the public immediately following the press release.”

            Mai pushed up from the table, and her chair rolled back to hit the wall. “Then _I_ have a dimwitted duelist to track down.”

            “Slow down there,” the brunet said. “You sure ya wanna go after him first? If ya lose, y’know you’ll-”

            The glare Mai gave him carried a death threat. She stormed towards the elevator, and he scratched his head. The red-haired boy mumbled something about a former CEO and left with her. Rafael faced Dartz and said, “I’ll find your pharaoh.”

            “I cannot imagine a better man for the job,” Dartz said. Rafael grunted and left the room. Dartz stepped forward and placed his palm on the table. He said, “What about you, my child? You’re looking more nervous than usual.”

            “Tournament anxiety,” Rahlin mumbled. “Also, I don’t understand why they’re raring to go if they know what collecting all the souls means for them.”

            “Try finding out. Valon!” The brunet standing beside the doorway broke out of his trance and flipped around. “Show Rahlin around today. Help her find an opponent.”

            “Eh, sure, boss. Come on, then.”

            She followed him to the elevator, and Dartz watched them leave. Valon pushed a button and stared off into space. Rahlin cleared her throat. “So, uh, Valon, is it?”

            “Huh? Oh. Yeah. Nice t’ meetcha.”

            Valon adjusted the goggles resting atop his head. He looked bored. Rahlin felt an onset of panic as she could not figure out what to say. The awkward silence stretched on. She coughed into her fist. “I, uh, I’m Rahlin!”

            “Neat. D’ya always yell?”

            Her mouth zipped shut. She whispered, “N-no.”

            “What was that?” Rahlin stared at her black shoes. Valon shrugged it off and booked it the instant the elevator dinged. Rahlin chased after him. He said, “We’re goin t’ find Mai. I’m worried she’s gettin herself into a spot of trouble.”

            “Are you sure? She seems like she knows what she’s doing. It also seems like she doesn’t like you very much.”

            “What gives ya that idea?” he shouted while shaking his fist. “We’re buds. The best of pals. She’s only a part of this operation cos of me. We’re very close.”

            “Mhmm,” Rahlin muttered. “And she needs help why?”

            “The guy she’s aiming to duel is someone she fancies, and I’m worried it might get to her head.”

            “What does that mean?”

            “Eh? Oh. Means she likes him.”

            Rahlin’s head tilted. “Then why would she try to take his soul?”

            “Cos he messed up big time,” Valon said. “There she is!”

            Mai was leaning against a steel white picnic table beneath a striped yellow umbrella. Several couples and families were at the café for the lunch hour. Most were watching the massive screens on the large buildings around them, which displayed a crowd gathered around a podium.

            Dartz walked onscreen wearing his pinstripe violet suit. His multicolored eyes were unreadable as he rested his hands on the podium and began his announcement.

            Valon sprinted up to Mai, and Rahlin followed at a slower pace. He said, “You here for some coffee?”

            “Sure. Go get me a latte.” He ran inside without another word. Mai sighed. “Sad, isn’t it?”

            “What?”

            “How desperate he is for me to like him,” Mai said. “Keep this in mind, kid: men never want to be friends. They always want something more out of it, or… nothing.”

            “Is that why you’re trying to steal the soul of someone you like?”

            “ _Like_?” Mai huffed. “Valon told you that, didn’t he? He’s an idiot to think so. No, the person I’m targeting is not someone I am attached to in the slightest. I’d say Valon lied to you, but I think he’s just delusional. I know J- I mean, I know that guy will come by here to register, and I’ll be waiting.”

            Rahlin focused on a random point in the distance for a few moments. Dartz’s booming voice filled the silence as he described the rules of the new tournament. Rahlin said, “Could I give you something for luck?”

            The anger drained from her expression. “Sure, kid.”

            Rahlin retrieved a card from her deck and held it out to Mai. “It’s my Seal. Two’s better than one, right?”

            Mai rotated the card. Light caught on the dark green Orichalcos stone in the card’s design. “Why’d you get a shiny one? That’s special treatment.”

            Rahlin choked on her next words, and Mai laughed at her. Mai said, “Thanks. Nice to know someone’s in my corner.”

            Gasps, screams, and cheers rippled through the nearby crowd. Dartz had announced the prizes for first place and runner up. He said, “The Changing of the Echelons begins! Registration is open effective immediately.”

            Chairs and people alike fell over as duelists rushed towards the nearest card shop. Mai said, “Changing of the Echelons?’ Is that supposed to be the tournament’s name? Ugh. Boss isn’t one much for branding, is he.”

            Rahlin bit her tongue. “Won’t be long now. Are you nervous?”

            Mai only laughed.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Joey Wheeler jammed his fingernail between the gap in his front teeth and flicked off a bit of spinach. He always made an effort to wolf down his food so a majority of the lunch hour was left open to socialize. When he returned to his regular table, though, his group of friends was silent. He said, “Yeesh. With the mood over here youda thunk Téa’s imaginary pet bird died.”

             No reaction. All eyes were glued to something in the distance. Joey nudged Tristan. “Remember the imaginary bird? Ha. Classic.”

            Tristan pushed him away. “Did you have your coffee, dude?”

            “Coffee? Do I look like I’m made of money?”

            “You said earlier not to talk to you until you’d had some.”

            “Weeeell, that was to get you guys to shut up for a while. It wasn’t supposed to work this well, though.”

            “Quiet down!” Téa said. “The announcement is happening!”

            Right. The new tournament. Joey followed her line of sight to the TV on the wall. A dude with weird blue hair was explaining the rules. “Ha. The rich get richer, huh? That’s just like somethin Kaiba would do.”

            “You blind, or what?” Tristan said. “That’s not Kaiba.”

            “It’s his company!”

            “Not anymore, dummy,” Téa said. “Can you keep quiet for, like, two seconds?”

            The announcement continued: “The winner has a choice between one of two prizes: the three Egyptian god cards and fifty-one percent stake in KaibaCorp stock. The runner up receives whatever the winner declines.”

            “ _What_?” Joey exclaimed. “God cards? _Yugi_ ’s god cards?”

            Yugi said, “He must be working with those bikers. They want us in this tournament, but why? They’re stealing souls, but for what?”

            “I can’t believe they’d steal your cards then dangle them in front of you. What absolute pieces of garbage,” Tristan said. He nudged Joey. “I say we track down those guys and personally give them a ‘reward.’”

            Joey smirked and cracked his knuckles. Yugi said, “We don’t want any trouble. I like the idea of finding them first, though. We can get information from them.”

            “Oh, I almost forgot to tell ya,” Joey said. “I told Serenity about them bikers, but she said the one who dueled Duke wasn’t any of em. She said it was some chick with white hair and an eyepatch.”

            “We’ll go searching after school,” Téa said. “Since summer break starts soon, we should focus on-”

            The man on the screen exclaimed, “The Changing of the Echelons begins! Registration is open effective immediately.”

            “Oh, damn! We have to go _now_ or the lines’ll get crazy long!” Joey said.

            Téa sighed. “Didn’t you hear what I just said? We-”

            Joey grabbed Yugi’s arm and dragged him towards the exit. “Talk later! We got souls to save now!”

            Yugi struggled to match Joey’s long-legged sprint. “D… Don’t you think we’ll get in trouble?”

            “The world’s in trouble, Yug!”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The closest tournament registration location was in the shopping district, which was packed during the lunch hour. Joey muscled through the crowds while Yugi was squished and prodded by elbows. “Alright, we made it! What? The line’s, like, twenty people long already!”

Yugi rubbed his bruised upper arm and muttered, “Great.”

            He caved in his shoulders and crossed his arms, but the itch of passing stares and whispers irritated him. Yugi Muto, King of Games. He longed for the days when he could do something as simple as waiting in line without being recognized.

            “Yugi. Wonder seeing you here.”

            He buried the urge to scream in frustration and put on a daring smile. At least the woman who’d addressed him was someone Yugi considered a friend. He said, “Hi, Mai! Long time, no see!”

            Joey started with an amicable smile, but the instant he opened his mouth, Mai tossed two duel disks in their direction. Joey and Yugi caught them with looks of confusion. “VIPs like you two shouldn’t be waiting in line. You’re both pre-registered.”

            “Ain’t that convenient.” Joey yelled at the line in front of him: “Ya hear that? We don’t hafta wait! We’re VIPs!”

            “Wait,” Yugi said, “how do you know that, Mai? And why did you have-”

            “Why don’t you try testing it, Joey?” Mai asked in a sly purr. “All you have to do is challenge me, and the power rankings will kick in.”

            Yugi glanced between them. “Hold on. Shouldn’t we talk about-”

            “Alright, Mai! I’ll take you on!”

            The display on their duel disks flashed red. Joey slammed his deck into his standard model. Mai’s new disk extended in a sickle shape. Yugi couldn’t shake a sickening feeling that he’d seen that duel disk model recently, and not in good hands. Mai said, “There it is. Since you’re higher than me, we’re forced to duel each other once you issue a challenge. But they do say ladies first, so I’ll be taking the first move.”

            Yugi chewed on his nails as they loaded their hands with five cards, and Mai drew her sixth. This was all too convenient. The day the tournament was announced, Mai was waiting by the nearest registration location with two duel disks. Mai, who they hadn’t heard from since the Battle City tournament ended. She knew they were pre-registered, but Yugi and Joey had no idea about the tournament until today. How could she possibly…

            “Joey, you should rethink this duel while you can!” Yugi said.

            “Whaddya talkin about? It’s a friendly duel with our bud Mai!”

            Mai tossed her head back and spoke to a pair of bystanders watching the duel. “Turns out you were good luck after all, kid!”

            Yugi squinted at the two people among the giant crowd watching the duel. He recognized one as a biker who’d stolen his god cards, and the other was a girl with white hair and an eyepatch. That matched Joey’s description of the one who’d stolen Duke’s soul. Yugi’s heart lodged in his throat. They all knew each other. They and Mai?

            Mai slipped a card into the Field Spell slot. “I activate the Seal of Orichalcos!”

            Ghastly green light shot from a ring around Mai’s feet. The Seal expanded, and its invisible force swatted Yugi away as though he were a fly. He landed on his back and looked on in horror to see Joey within the Seal’s bounds. Joey said, “This- This is that crazy circle the bad guys’re using!”

            “Careful, Joey!” Yugi hollered. “They’re all working together!”

            “What? No. No way Mai would work with those soul-stealing creeps!”

            Mai’s blonde bangs split, and a matching Seal of Orichalcos formed on her forehead. A wicked gleam sparked red in her violet eyes. She said, “I summon Harpie Lady in attack position and end my turn.”

            “Mai!” Joey shouted. “Talk to me, please! Why are you doing this?”

            Yugi grimaced. Mai activated the card like it was nothing. She was ready for this, and they had walked into her trap like insects into her web. Yugi gulped. “You have to focus, Joey! If you lose-”

            “It doesn’t matter,” he said. “If I win, then Mai…”

            “Don’t act like you care now,” Mai said. “Truth is, my soul’s already gone. By the way, your chances of winning this duel are the same odds as a snowstorm brewing in a volcano.”

            Joey spread his stance. “We’ll see about that! I summon Alligator Sword in defense position and end my turn!”

            Yugi was glad Mai’s challenge restored Joey’s fighting spirit, but it was still a lose-lose situation for him. When it came down to it, could Joey duel with his all? Yugi bit his nails.

            “Look closely.”

            Yugi glanced to the side, where the pharaoh’s shadow was watching the duel. The pharaoh closed his eyes and slid his hand into his pocket. “Yugi. Does that look like our friend Mai to you?”

            Yugi peered at Joey’s opponent. A black aura like a storm cloud surrounded her. Her irises were more red than purple. Yugi said, “No, not really.”

            “Exactly. I’m certain that’s not the real Mai, and if anyone can break through to her, Joey can.”

            Yugi stood straighter. “You’re right. Joey can do this!”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            “Ya weren’t supposed to let her _duel_ him!” Valon shouted. Rahlin flinched back. The boy could be damn loud when he tried. He pushed the latte he had fruitlessly retrieved into Rahlin’s hands.

            “Sorry, I just, I was very distracted. Do you see two of the same person over there?”

            “What?”

            Rahlin pointed across the duel field, where a boy with spiky, multicolored hair was cheering on his friend. “That kid. There’s, like, a short version of him and a tall version. They look familiar, too.”

            “Are ya losing it?” Valon said. “That’s _the_ Yugi Muto, the guy who’s won those two massive tournaments – Duelist Kingdom and Battle City. He’s number one in the power rankings and all over the news all the time. Oh, and there’s _one_ of him, like it is with most people.”

            Rahlin winced and wondered if he had to be so mean about it. She rubbed at her eye. The two Yugi Mutos were still there. She blinked twice. Still there. Rahlin sighed and sipped at the abandoned latte. The bitter taste forced her to cringe but imagined she needed the slap of reality.

            Yet the two Yugis were still there, side-by-side.

            Valon whistled. “Mai’s wrecking him! The man didn’t know what he was gettin into, did he?”

            Rahlin focused on the duel. Joey Wheeler’s field was empty, and his life points were at 200. Mai’s life counter was at a hefty 3400; she had Harpie’s Pet Dragon with 3600 attack and four Harpie Ladies. Wheeler was staring at the two cards in his hand. Valon said, “Lookit the chump. He has no idea what he’s doin!”

            Wheeler slid a card into his duel disk. “Monster Reborn! This’ll bring back The Fiend Megacyber, and I’ll use him to destroy one of your Harpie Ladies!”

            Mai brushed off her shoulder. Her life counter hadn’t changed. “That’s it? Really? Harpie Lady Sparrow Formation reduces your damage to zero. Guess you’ve squeezed all the luck you can out of life.”

            Wheeler looked hurt beyond belief. The shorter of the two Mutos shouted encouragement, but none seemed to reach Wheeler. His arms dropped to his sides. “Even if I could win, I- I couldn’t do it to her. I don’t know what you’re mixed up in, Mai, but you’re my friend to the end. I end my turn. Go ahead. You did it.”

            Mai smiled as though everything was right in the world. “Harpie’s Pet Dragon! Attack The Fiend Megacyber!”

            A sphere of flames gathered in the chained dragon’s maw, and Harpie’s Pet Dragon shot its blast through Wheeler’s monster and straight towards his chest. He hit the ground smoking. His life counter dropped to zero.

            “Joey, no!” the shorter Muto shouted.

            “This is it,” Mai said with an expectant step forward. “You lost fair and square. The Seal will take your soul, and you’ll be nothing but an empty husk… as though you’re much more now.”

            Mai breathed in. She looked to the sky, and its blue reflection was brighter than the red shine in her irises. “I finally expelled my demon.”

            A breeze drifted by, disturbing her hair and earrings. The wind carried neon green shards. Mai’s eyes widened. At her feet, the Seal of Orichalcos was ripping into pieces and fading into nothing. Joey Wheeler pushed himself off the ground and stared at his hands as though he was shocked they belonged to him.

            “This can’t be right,” Mai muttered. “The Seal never acted like this before. Never, unless… Unless. _My_ Seal never did this before.”

            Rahlin took a long, long sip of her latte. The deathly glare Mai had aimed at her would disappear by the time she was done, surely.

            She lowered her cup. It hadn’t gone away. Rahlin gulped and stared in a nondescript direction. Mai stomped to her. “The hell did you rig, kid? Our whole job is stealing souls! I finally got what I wanted and you find a way to ruin it with your stupid card!”

            Valon glanced between the two. “Eh? The new girl made it so no one would lose their soul?”

            “The only thing different about my deck this time,” Mai said with enough venom to poison a country or three, “was that I was using the card this _kid_ gave me.”

            Mai flashed the Seal of Orichalcos Rahlin had given her. Valon thinned his eyes. “Looks different for sure. Is that real rock? In a card?”

            “That’s not the point, you idiot!” Mai screamed. She grabbed Rahlin by the shoulders. “Why’d you do it? Why’d you ruin my chance?”

            Rahlin kept her expression as flat as possible. She said, “Forever is a long time to go without someone you care for.”

            Mai was statue still. Her eye twitched. She let go of Rahlin. “I do _not_ care for- this was your fault, Valon! You gave her the loony idea that man matters to me! How dare you assume what I feel-”

            “Excuse me.”

            The steady, deep voice cutting through the conversation startled Rahlin so much she dropped the latte. The taller Yugi Muto was staring at her with sharp, amethyst eyes. He pointed at Rahlin and said, “I challenge you to a duel.”


	4. An Offer You Simply Can't Refuse

            Rahlin’s Chaos duel disk flashed red and activated of its own accord. The huge crowd that had gathered to watch Mai’s duel broke into a frenzy ranging from whispers to shouts. All revolved around the same subject: Rahlin’s forced opponent, Yugi Muto.

            She was curious as to why the number one duelist worldwide according to the power rankings would choose her to duel. He could pick any chump off the street and duel them, so why her? She supposed she _was_ the any old chump, which was quite a depressing thought.

            Still, she couldn’t shake a couple of bothersome feelings. The first was that she had seen this Yugi Muto before, a long time ago. Same with the golden, inverse pyramid hanging from a chain around his neck. The second was that she had sworn there were two Yugi Mutos a few minutes ago, but now there was just the one.

            There was a larger issue more factual in nature. Her deck was missing a vital card, which was in Mai Valentine’s hands. Rahlin muttered, “Before I duel, I need that back.”

            Irritation crossed Mai’s expression. She tucked Rahlin’s Seal of Orichalcos into her sleeve and said, “Consider it payback, kid. Good luck against the King of Games.”

            “But I-”

            Mai melded into the masses surrounding Rahlin and Yugi. Valon started to pat Rahlin’s shoulder but thought better of it. He said, “Ehh, good luck out there, new chick!”

            Rahlin wondered what the point of being in an organization was if they weren’t organized enough to stick around for her duel. On the other side, Yugi Muto set his deck into his duel disk. The jacket draped across his shoulders fluttered in the breeze. He said, “You may take the first move, if you’d like.”

            “Uh, no thanks,” Rahlin said. “You can have it, I mean.”

            Yugi swiped a card off his deck, side-eyed it, and slapped it onto his disk. “I summon Beta, the Magnet Warrior in attack position, set one card face-down, and end my turn.”

            “Mmkay, I summon Vanguard of the Dragon in attack position.”

            A black lizard with a long, spiky tail spawned on Rahlin’s field. It banged its spear against its shield and roared at Beta, the Magnet Warrior. At the side of the duel field, someone said, “Say, Tristan. Why would a dragon need a spear and shield? Kinda seems like it’d be fine with all the spikes and stuff.”

            The one who’d spoken was Joey Wheeler, who Mai supposedly had a love-hate relationship with. He aimed the question towards a guy whose brown hair was slicked to a single point. “Good question. Maybe it’s insecure about how it’s a dragon with no wings, and that’s why it uses weapons.”

            A brown-haired girl pushed them apart. “Can you two idiots shut up and focus on the duel? Look, she summoned a monster with the same attack points as Yugi’s monster.”

            “It’s a stalemate, Téa,” Tristan said. “Obviously.”

            “Nah way! She’s gonna attack and leave the field empty!” Joey said.

            “You’re almost correct,” Rahlin said. “I activate Vanguard of the Dragon’s effect. By discarding a Dragon-type, he gains 300 attack. The card I discarded – the White Stone of Legend – also has a special ability. When it hits the grave, I can add a very special card to my hand. Now, Vanguard of the Dragon battles Beta, the Magnet Warrior!”

            Vanguard lobbed his spear, which stabbed through Beta’s chest. Tubes snaked out of the robot spitting oil, and sparks flew. Beta shattered; Yugi’s life points fell to 3700.

            “Bad, bad, bad!” Wheeler said. “Mai landed first blood on me, and it was a slippery slope from there!”

            “Yeah, but it’s not hard to imagine you losing to Mai,” Tristan said. “Yugi losing to this chick, though? Not happening.”

            “Hey! You could be a little nicer!” Joey hollered. “I almost lost my soul! It was very scarring!”

            Téa muttered, “You don’t sound scarred to me.”

            “Anyway!” Rahlin said louder than normal. “I set a face-down and pass turn.”

            “My draw,” Yugi said. “I summon Breaker, the Magical Warrior and activate my set spell, Magical Dimension! By tributing Breaker, I can special summon a Spellcaster from my hand and destroy one of your monsters! I choose to bring the Dark Magician Girl to the field and eliminate Vanguard of the Dragon!”

            Breaker was confined to a sarcophagus. A trap of arrows shot through the tomb and stuck into Vanguard, clearing the field of monsters. The golden sarcophagus transformed into a shower of light, and the Dark Magician Girl was born from it. She smiled and pointed the seashell-shaped point of her staff towards Rahlin, who was sweating. Yugi smirked and said, “You seem nervous. Before I attack, allow me to ask: were you the one who stole my friend Duke Devlin’s soul?”

            Rahlin sucked in a breath through her grit teeth. The sight of him and his monster, the Dark Magician Girl, had struck her with a strong sense of déjà vu. She scratched at her temple. If she could just remember where she’d seen him and the Dark Magician Girl before.

            Or she never had, and she was going insane. Rahlin shook her head. What had he asked? Something about Duke? “Oh, the guy with the ponytail. Yeah. Yeah, I did.”

            “Tell us how we can help him,” Yugi demanded.

            Rahlin grasped her black tie and looked at the pavement beneath her feet. “No comment.”

            “Very well. Dark Magician Girl, direct attack!” His monster twirled, and fuchsia sparkles rained from her spinning skirt. She slung her wand arm towards Rahlin. A burst of pink bolted forward.

The blast paused as though time had stopped. Three scribes in pale blue robes appeared from Rahlin’s sprung trap card. Dark Magician Girl’s attack fizzled out.

“Woah, what?” Joey shouted. “Her life points didn’t go down!”

            Téa held up her index finger. “That’s because she used the Waboku trap. It protects her from battle damage and would prevent her monsters from being destroyed by battle if she had any.”

            “Pfft, whatever,” Tristan said. “All she’s doing is stalling for time.”

            Yugi said, “I set one card and end my turn.”

Rahlin was more annoyed with her opponent’s posse than the duelist himself, which she had never experienced before. She slipped a spell card onto the field and made sure her tone adequately expressed her annoyance when she said, “I play Ancient Rules. I can special summon any Normal Monster with 5 or more levels from my hand – no tribute required. I choose the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!”

            Tristan blinked. “Did I hear that right?”

            “No way,” Joey said. “She’s bluffin. There’re only three of those cards, and Kaiba has all-”

            Blinding white light shot from the earth in a pillar to touch the heavens. A grand roar split the sky and scattered the light. A sleek, white dragon hovered above Rahlin. Yugi stepped back. “That’s… the real Blue-Eyes, but what’s wrong with its eye?”

            Where the dragon’s left eye should have been, pure black was splattered on its skull like ink stains. Joey thrust his fist forward. “See? It’s totally some bootleg copy!”

            “I’m not so sure about that,” Téa said, her focus shifting to the dragon’s matching duelist. Rahlin’s fingers brushed her own chin; her dragon bared its fangs above her head and growled.

            “Guess it’s a Blue- _Eye_ White Dragon now,” Tristan said with a snicker, which Joey joined in on.

            Rahlin remained stoic. Her eye was laser-focused on her opponent’s field. She said, “Blue-Eyes White Dragon attacks Dark Magician Girl.”

            The crackle of electricity emanated from Rahlin’s dragon, and all her hairs stood on end. Before the Blue-Eyes could begin to attack, a spell card flipped up on Yugi’s field. A giant hat swept Dark Magician Girl away, and a pair of pigeons flew out instead. “Magical Pigeon returns Dark Magician Girl to my hand for the rest of the turn, and two Pigeon Tokens defend me in her place!”

            “Nice goin, Yug!” Joey cheered with another pump of his fist. “No way she’s touching your life points again!”

            Rahlin kept up her emotionless expression. “I’ll end my turn with a face-down. You’re up.”

            “Dark Magician Girl is back at the end of your turn, and my Pigeon Tokens disappear,” Yugi said. He glanced to his hand. “I play Sage’s Stone! When Dark Magician Girl is on the field, this spell brings her partner to her side: Dark Magician!”

             A smooth chunk of opal levitated between Dark Magician Girl’s palms. Purple energy swarmed from the stone into a distant aura, which formed the Dark Magician’s silhouette. The monster shimmered within the amethyst glow. Its attack was 500 less than Rahlin’s Blue-Eyes, but intuition whispered that was about to change.

            “I activate the Pump Up spell card,” Yugi said. “One monster doubles its attack until the End Phase. I choose my Dark Magician!”

            The spellcaster doubled in size, and its staff was enough to crush the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Rahlin winced at the thought. Her action did not go unnoticed by her opponent. He said, “Once again, before I attack, I ask you: how can we save Duke’s soul?”

            Rahlin sighed. Her dragon dropped to the ground beside her. She reached her hand out and, much to Yugi’s amazement, rested her hand on the holographic monster’s white scales. “Human souls like his cannot be saved. They are sacrificed towards the end of wiping out every soul in your world.”

            “What?” Joey exclaimed. “No. No way Mai’s fighting for somethin like that! Don’t believe it, Yug! She’s tryna trip you up!”

            Yugi’s stare was pinned on her. “And what is the method of moving those souls back to where they rightfully belong?”

            Rahlin offered a sly smile, and her eye curled with it as though a smile of its own. “I am an honest woman. I have seen a soul freed before, but it was not by any means accessible to a human like you.”

            “It is possible,” Yugi said.

            “If that’s what you choose to take from the conversation, yes.”

            “What are the means?” he asked. Rahlin’s head dipped. Her mouth was a thin line. Yugi said, “Then this is the choice you make. Dark Magician, destroy the Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Dark Magic Attack!”

            Dark Magician’s staff flashed, and for a split second, the world’s colors inverted. Rahlin’s now-black dragon shattered into a thousand pieces, and a sharp pain made her feel as though her heart suffered the same fate. She doubled over and clutched at her chest.

            “Oh, gosh! Are you okay?”

            Rahlin peered to the side. The girl from her opponent’s posse had appeared near her. Rahlin said, “What’re you doing over here?”

            “You looked like you were in pain for a few minutes there. I got worried you might be having a heart attack or something.”

            It couldn’t have been minutes. Rahlin was only experiencing the pain for a couple of seconds, wasn’t she? “W-well, I’m fine. Um. Thank you.”

            Téa smiled. “You’re welcome.”

            Rahlin waved her hand away in a shooing motion. “G-go back over there.”

            She did. Rahlin returned her focus to the duel. Her opponent’s never left. Rahlin’s life points sat at 2000, exactly enough for his last monster to wipe out. “My Battle Phase continues. Dark Magician Girl, direct attack!”

            “Trap activate! Birthright!” Rahlin exclaimed. A pair of wooden doors flanked by blood-red drapes opened, and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon was escorted out. “I special summon a Normal Monster from my grave, and Birthright equips to it.”

            “Then I’ll set a card and end my turn.”

            “You see that?” Joey commented. “He almost took out all her life points in one turn! That’s my Yug!”

            “The duel is far from over, Joey,” Yugi responded.

             Rahlin figured her opponent had more faith in her than she did. “I activate Smashing Ground, which destroys the monster on your field with the highest defense – in this case, Dark Magician!”

            A yellow cloud gathered above the field. A giant fist descended from the sky and crashed into Dark Magician. Rahlin said, “I attack Dark Magician Girl with the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!”

            Light flashed within the dragon’s maw before blasting outwards. White Lightning swallowed Dark Magician Girl. Yugi’s life points fell from 3700 to 2700. “I use my trap, Natural Selection!”

            Rahlin’s dragon froze. Its form dissolved, leaving behind a papier-mâché version of itself. Rahlin stutter-stepped forward in a flash of pain. The Blue-Eyes was now in the grave, but the replacement version had the same stats as her monster. “What’s the point of giving me an exact copy?”

            “Your copy is frailer and thus is destroyed the instant you end your turn,” Yugi explained.

            Rahlin swore under her breath. “I summon Exploder Dragon in attack position and pass turn.”

            Vicious winds ripped apart the poor excuse for a monster. She had to applaud her opponent’s cleverness in his timing; he gave her no choice but to throw her monster away. Anxiety accelerated Rahlin’s heartbeat. Her hand was empty and his was, too, but she could never count on her own luck.

            “I play Pot of Greed,” Yugi said. His hand size doubled. “I summon Alpha, the Magnet Warrior, set one card face-down, and end my turn.”

            “Have you lost it?” Joey said from the sidelines. “Your monster’s stronger than hers!”

            “Think,” Yugi responded. “She summoned it after her Battle Phase when she could have used it to deal more damage to me. That leads me to believe it’s more like a trap in monster form than a tool for dealing damage.”

            Rahlin was simultaneously impressed and cursing his foresight. It was true Exploder Dragon had 1000 attack to Alpha’s 1400, but… “Exploder Dragon battles Alpha, the Magnet Warrior!”

            “That’s it. She’s nuts,” Joey said.

            “Effect trigger!” Rahlin said. “Neither of us take battle damage, and both monsters are automatically destroyed!”

            “I play my trap, Dark Renewal! I choose one of my monsters and yours to use as sacrifice to play this card instead. I can then special summon a high level Spellcaster from my deck or grave, like the Dark Magician Girl you destroyed!”

            “Then I’ll play a Quick-Play Spell from my hand: Miraculous Rebirth! It activates as Chain 4 or higher, and it special summons a monster from either grave! I choose my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!”

            A silver chain tied from Exploder Dragon and Alpha, the Magnet Warrior meeting in their attack to the ticking bomb within Exploder Dragon and finally to the coffin rising from Yugi’s trap. The chain dove beneath the ground and rattled on its way back up. Blue-Eyes White Dragon rose from the cracked earth in chains, which shattered. Alpha and Exploder were sucked into the coffin. The casket opened again, and Dark Magician Girl soared from its confines.

            “Wha… Can someone fill me in? What just happened?” Tristan asked.

            “It’s still the Battle Phase, and eyepatch chick has the advantage attack-wise,” Joey said.

            “How is it the Battle Phase? She used a spell from her hand!” Tristan countered.

            “Quick-Play Spells can be used like that. They’re sorta like trap cards but better,” Joey explained.

            Yugi nodded towards him. “You’ve learned well.”

            “Before I attack, I have a question of my own,” Rahlin said. “Why would you choose Dark Magician Girl over Dark Magician?”

            “She and I have a special bond,” Yugi said. “It’s not something I can put into words. When I see her on my field, I feel a certain peace I could not achieve on my own in times of trouble.”

            Dark Magician Girl raised her staff and grinned as though hearing his words. Blue-Eyes White Dragon growled and snapped at her. She flinched back, and her eyes widened.

            And Rahlin remembered.

            She remembered exactly where she had seen that monster’s blue eyes before. They weren’t framed by white skin and blonde locks but by skin and hair in shades of brown. She’d said, _“Um, this here is the prince. He’ll be pharaoh one day, so you’d better not hurt him! Pretty please, monster lady?”_

            The duel was like a replay of that memory, with her between Rahlin and the prince. That hair of his was unmistakable. Tips red like fire. Middle black like night. Bangs yellow like sunlight. Now his skin was pale, and he wasn’t wearing his royal attire trimmed with gold. The piercing glare he gave had never changed, though.

            Rahlin could hardly form words. For a few seconds, her mouth opened and closed without producing sound. “Y-y-you’re- you’re the p-prince. Th-the prince of Egypt.”

            Yugi’s eyes widened. “You know me?”

            Rahlin rose her arm. Her fingers trembled. She dropped her hand so it covered her deck. The monsters faded. Rahlin walked towards the crowd in silence.

            “Wait!” Yugi shouted. “Please, I want to talk-”

            She disappeared into the masses. Many were swarming Yugi, begging for autographs, duels, and interviews. Joey and Tristan muscled them away, and Téa did her best to avoid being trampled. She said, “I don’t get it, you guys! What happened to the duel?”

            “Eyepatch chick folded,” Joey said. “She gave up, so Yugi won by default.”

            “Huh? But it still seemed like it was a pretty even match.”

            “There’s something buried here,” Yugi said, his voice enough to cut through the crowd, “and I intend to find out what it is.”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Drip, drip, drip. Rahlin drummed her gloved fingers to the rhythm of the coffee maker in the corner of the boardroom. The highest floor of the DOMA skyscraper was otherwise empty.

            The back wall shimmered like a rippling pool of water. Rahlin grasped her tie, but it did nothing for her spiking heart rate. The curtains beside the table’s head seat rustled. She gulped.

            Dartz emerged a moment later in his violet, pinstripe suit. He walked half the length of the table with his hands clasped behind his back, and he did not meet her eyes.

            “There was no conceivable reason for you to forfeit,” Dartz said. He was adjusting his tie and staring through the glass wall. “You could have stolen a soul worth hundreds. Instead, you gave Mai Valentine your Seal knowing she was unaware of the incantation necessary to activate its soul reaping abilities. As a result, you lacked the tool that would have allowed you to take the pharaoh’s soul. On top of it all, instead of at least dealing a blow to his confidence, you folded.”

            Dartz slammed the heel of his hand on the boardroom table. When he and Rahlin locked eyes, the pupil of his turquoise eye was thinned to a reptilian slit. He hissed, “I have spent thousands of years striking from the shadows, stealing lost children where they stray, homeless adults no one will miss, and runaways with no attachments to speak of. Slowly and surely, without being noticed, I have gathered these hundreds of souls for an opportunity to reunite with you, Rahlin. We have our chance for a full-on assault, and you choose to repay me with a setback?

            “How dare you?” he shouted, and for an instant she swore she saw fangs in his mouth. “How _dare_ you, Rahlin Orichalcum?”

            “I understand you’re upset. I apologize. I’m having a- a conflict of interest from an old debt. It was- it was with Pharaoh Ack- Aknuh- er, never mind. Um, uh, anyway, didn’t Rafael say he was targeting Yugi? I wouldn’t take it from him. I can make it up in other ways, I swear!”

            Dartz leaned back from the table. Humanness returned to his features, and his expression was neutral. “And you will make it up. Three wins are required to reach the semifinals. But. As long as the preliminary round has not ended, any duelist issuing a challenge who is higher ranked than another cannot be refused… even if said duelist already has their three wins. It’s a peculiar bug in the system I chose to ignore.”

            Rahlin stared at her open palm. “So I could just keep forcing people into duels and using the Seal.”

            “One more loss and you’re out of the tournament for good, no matter how many wins you stack up.”

            She crushed her hand into a fist. “I won’t lose.”

            Dartz side-eyed Rahlin. “That has become far less convincing after today. Do not disappoint me again, my child.”

            Rahlin shot up from the table, tucked her arm across her waist, and dipped into a deep bow. “I will not fail you, patron. I swear, by the end of this round, I will have gathered at least twenty souls for you.”

            “There is the confidence I like to see,” Dartz said. “Now, I wanted to ask you one more time about the kn-”

            The _ding_ of the elevator interrupted him. A taller fellow in a black trenchcoat exited and removed his sunglasses, revealing a pair of gray eyes. He folded his shades against the collar of his gray t-shirt. “No luck, Master Dartz. I can’t find him anywhere.”

            “He’ll show up eventually. He has to for the tournament,” Dartz replied. “He could not watch from the sidelines as control of his company falls into the hands of some duelist.”

            “’Course he couldn’t. The prideful bastard,” he muttered.

            “In the meantime, since you’re free, do me a favor and take Rahlin home. I’m afraid she’d get lost if she went alone.” Dartz gestured between the two. “Rahlin, this is Alister. Alister, Rahlin. She’s staying with Mai Valentine.”

            “Oh, yeah, I know where that is. It’s on my way back,” Alister said. “I’ll take you there.”

            He started towards the elevator and motioned for her to follow. When the doors closed, Alister said, “Did he chew you out?”

            Rahlin crossed her arms and tapped her foot. “There was no chewing. There was not even food.”

            He gave her an odd look. “It’s not literal. I was asking if you got in trouble with him.”

            “Ohhh. Yes, I did.”

            Alister smiled at her. “Hey, Rahlin, don’t worry. He does it to each of us, like, once a week. He’s a good boss, but we all agree he’s uptight as all hell. I know! Let’s hit up that bakery that opened the other week. They make these crazy good mini pies. Would that cheer you up?”

            Rahlin’s head lifted. A sparkle caught in her eye. “D-did you say pie?”

            Alister clapped his hands together. “That’s a yes! Let’s go!”

            He ran ahead, and she struggled to keep up with him. Alister guided her into a quaint shop with a bell above the door. An older couple greeted them with warm smiles. Alister chose cherry for himself and recommended the peach as a safe first pick for Rahlin, but she went straight for the blueberry. Alister looked down to take a bite; by the time he looked back up, her personal pie was gone. Alister had a slant of a smile. “You really like pie, huh?”

            His attention startled her out of her stare into the empty pie tin. Red touched her cheeks. “Uh, I mean, sort of, yes.”

            “Crazy good like I said, riiight?”

            She smiled and it dropped in the next moment. “Yeah. Thanks. I went from feeling like I was going to throw up earlier to this. You seem a lot nicer than the other three.”

            Alister pointed his fork at her and winked. “Ah, don’t let em fool you. When you get Rafael talking, he has a whole bank of puns waiting to be unleashed. He’ll make you laugh and watch with this little smile. Valon has an anime obsession he’ll go on for hours about. Mai, well, she keeps to herself most times, but she’ll talk about _anything_ when she drinks.”

            “I… appreciate the advice, but I don’t understand,” Rahlin said, her brows pushing inward. “You seem to care about people. Why are you collecting souls?”

            Alister stabbed his fork into his pie, leaned forward, and said, “For justice.”

            “Eh?”

            “You heard about Dartz taking over the company known as KaibaCorp, right? Well, that company’s CEO is a real piece of work. He ruins lives every day with the decisions he makes and doesn’t care as long as it benefits him. Taking over his company and giving him no power is just the first step in dishing out what he deserves.”

            “I see,” Rahlin muttered. “Did he fire you or something?”

            “What? No. He… because of him, I- I lost someone very close to me.”

            Rahlin gasped. “He killed your friend?”

            Alister sighed. “No, not quite. It was my little brother. We were fleeing from warring countries. It was looking like the fighting was dying down and we might have a chance to escape. Then KaibaCorp showed up. They weren’t there to provide aid to civilians like we hoped. They were making contracts with both sides and trying to spark up the battles again. KaibaCorp started the war for profit. When we were just shy of the border, my little brother got caught in the blast from the brand new KaibaCorp tanks.”

            Rahlin pressed the palm of her hand over her eyepatch. “War for profit?”

            “It’s sickening,” Alister said, his voice shaking. “I can’t imagine anything more wicked. Thousands of kids like Mikey died, and all KaibaCorp cares about is lining its pockets.”

            Alister lifted his eyes to Rahlin’s face; her hand was like a claw grasping the right side of her face, and her white bangs spilled through her fingers. He managed a smile and said, “Ah, I’m probably making you sick again. Sorry. It’s not anything you need to worry about. I have it all under control! But, you know, you’re pretty easy to talk to. Most people don’t listen to me ramble!”

            Rahlin shrugged. “You did buy me pie.”

            He laughed, and the mood lightened. Outside the bakery’s shop window, the sun touched the horizon. They watched a man in a suit walk by yelling into his watch. A pair of schoolgirls chatted to each other, glanced at their phones, and giggled. Alister glanced to Rahlin. He said, “You’re around their age, right? What’s your story? Are you in DOMA for a specific reason?”

            “Do-” Rahlin tapped her finger against the bottom of her fork. She squinted to lessen the setting sun’s golden flare. “Do you know what will happen when enough souls are collected?”

            “Oh, yeah! Master Dartz said we’re making a better world. That’s why he put so many resources into acquiring KaibaCorp. He wants to stop all the evil that’s happening, and I’m happy to be his way to do it!”

            Rahlin winced at his instant enthusiasm. Dartz had found a clever way to avoid saying the whole truth. She wasn’t sure she had the same nuance. “Y-yeah. Me too.”

            “Anyway! It’s getting late. Ready to head home?”

            He totally bought it. Rahlin wiped sweat from her brow. “I should. It’s been a long day.”

            Alister made sure to personally thank the elderly couple before leaving the bakery. He held the door open for Rahlin, who felt a growing pit in her stomach. They passed the museum. Its white columns reflected the dark orange of the falling sun. Rahlin thought of the Egyptian tablet trapped in ice, and it reminded her of the prince of Egypt’s icy stare.

            How could they have met again a hundred afterlives later? Coincidences so incredible weren’t coincidences. Fate was playing its hand and not in her favor. She scratched beneath her eyepatch and frowned. Never in her favor.

            They were out of the shopping district. The crowds streaming past them thinned. Alister was staring at his hand and counting off his favorite spots to eat on his fingers. He was moving on from his top five Asian spots to his top five Italian restaurants when Rahlin noticed the guy standing in the middle of the sidewalk ahead of them. She stared at her own feet to avoid making awkward early eye contact. If she accidentally locked eyes, she might have to do something horrid like smile.

            By the time they reached the man, Alister had moved on to best supermarket delis. Rahlin tried to brush past the guy, and Alister stopped in his tracks. A rough grip clamped on Rahlin’s shoulder. She jerked her head up to see two blue eyes bearing into her. The crinkles of his face expressed anger.

            “Listen to every word I say, because I won’t repeat it.” The man didn’t bother lowering the volume of his mildly raspy voice. “I have a certain image to uphold, and I won’t allow some albino street rat to ruin it. There are exactly three Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards in existence. That is a law of the universe. If a flaw exists preventing the universal law from being true, that flaw is erased. Do you understand?”

            “Uh, no. There _are_ more than three-”

            “Wrong. There are exactly three, and I own them. You have two options, because I’m feeling a little gracious today. You can give your Blue-Eyes to me, or if you can’t stand to see them go, you can stop using them forever. If you do neither, you will disappear by force. To uphold the universal law, of course.”

            “Is- is that a threat?”

            The man released her. “I don’t have time to listen to any more of your stupid stuttering or your idiotic ‘uh’s, so I’m going to assume you’re taking the second option. If I ever catch wind of a Blue-Eyes being played by a hand other than my own again, you will face consequences.”

            Rahlin spread her stance. “You think that scares me? I won’t let my Blue-Eyes- hey! Where are you going?”

            The man was walking away at a brisk pace and grasping the collar of his white trenchcoat. Alister dashed to her side. “Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

            Rahlin touched her shoulder. Bruised, perhaps, but: “Nothing serious.”

            “Glad to hear it. That was him, Rahlin. Seto Kaiba, CEO of KaibaCorp.”

            “No wonder he thinks he has the right to set universal laws,” she muttered.

            “Don’t worry about what he said. I won’t let him follow through on his threat. We’re in this together, and that means we all gotta look out for each other!”

            The pit in Rahlin’s stomach simultaneously shrunk and widened. Alister had that same smile on his face, like he meant everything he said and was expressing genuine kindness. He’d only tried to make her feel better since learning her name. She couldn’t keep the truth hidden, not from someone like him. “I have to tell you something.”

            “What’s the matter?”

            “When Dartz said we’re making the world a better place, he didn’t mean what you think. He meant that when enough souls are reaped, every human on Earth will die.”

            Alister’s eyes widened. “But- all the time he put into taking KaibaCorp… no, that can’t be true. With all the stuff Rafael talks about, it does make sense- No. Nonono, Rahlin, you’re mistaken. If you were right, Master Dartz wouldn’t want to change KaibaCorp’s warmongering. ‘Sides, if that were true, you wouldn’t actually be a part of DOMA. That’d be insane. You might want to straighten out your thinking with Master Dartz. Anyways, have a good night! Make sure you rest up well!”

            Alister waved and ran off. Rahlin blinked. He had put forth a strong argument against himself. She wondered if it was worth trying to convince him of the truth when he had so easily persuaded himself out of it.

            She scratched beneath her eyepatch’s band as she looked up at Mai’s building. Rahlin knew Mai would still be angry. The pit in her stomach returned. She chewed the inside of her cheek as she ascended the staircase.

            Inside the apartment, Mai was sitting on the sofa beside her cat and staring into an empty wine glass. Rahlin closed the door softly. Mai pinned her with an annoyed stare anyway. Rahlin said, “Uh, h-hi.”

            Mai kept her glare on Rahlin. Rahlin tugged at her collar. She grasped her tie. She scratched at her pantleg. There wasn’t an itch. Rahlin said, “I-I’m sorry for what I did. I understand it was underhanded, dishonest, and dishonorable. It wasn’t because I was trying to do anything to you. I was just thinking of someone I cared for a whole lot, and I didn’t even tell him I loved him when he died. I just, I’ve always regretted that, and I’m sorry I made you suffer for my shortcomings.”

            Mai pursed her lips. She nodded towards the chair to her right. “Sit.”

            Rahlin did. Mai poured herself another glass. She asked, “Who was he?”

            “Huh?”

            “The guy. Was he a boyfriend, or…”

            “I don’t really want to talk about it,” Rahlin said.

            Mai closed her eyes. She nodded. “How did you make it back here?”

            “Alister brought me.”

            Mai took a sip. “He give you the Mikey spiel?”

            “Uh, yeah. How’d you know-”

            “He tells everyone with ears.” Mai swirled her wine. “Good for him. It’s about time that Kaiba had his karma cashed in.”

            Rahlin’s head tilted. “Karma?”

            “It’s an idea that every good action and every bad action have some sort of weight that’ll come back around. If you do a lot of good things, for example, you might just find yourself being extraordinarily lucky. If you do too much bad, though, it comes back to bite you in the worst ways.”

            Rahlin asked, “How does it decide what’s good and what’s bad?”

            “That’s the question, isn’t it,” Mai said with an upward quirk of her mouth. “Listen, kid. You’re not the only insecure one around here. Apology accepted. To tell the truth, when I saw him about to go, I did feel a little… something.”

            “Something like?”

            Mai raised her eyebrows. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”

            Rahlin scratched at her temple and muttered, “Fair enough. Oh. Do you know what happens when we collect enough souls?”

            “Humanity goes poof, right?” Mai asked. Rahlin nodded. “Yeah. I don’t care, kid. We’re all in this for our own reasons. I don’t question you, and you don’t question me. I had to become more powerful and prove I am, and I did. That’s all that matters to me.”

            Rahlin dared to ask, “Powerful for what reason?”

            “To never have that happen again.”

            “That being?”

            For an instant, Mai’s eyes widened. She cut Rahlin a glance. She rose to her feet and handed Rahlin a card: her Seal of Orichalcos. Mai walked to her room and shut the door without another word.


	5. Can't Run from Karma

            Yugi’s eyes fluttered open. His bed was harder than he’d remembered. He sat up and rubbed at his back. His other palm rested upon cold stone. He blinked and observed his surroundings; he appeared to be in an alley between a pair of stone buildings. Sunlight slanted upon him from the azure sky. “Am I dreaming?”

            “It feels too real to be a dream.”

            Yugi glanced up to find the pharaoh standing by his side. Once again, they wore the same pair of light blue pajamas. Yugi grasped his puzzle. “How are we both here? What is this place?”

            “Yugi, look!” the pharaoh exclaimed. He pointed to the end of the alley, where a familiar face was peeking around the corner. Yugi and the pharaoh darted after her.

            The alley opened to a small square with a gurgling fountain decorating its center. The tan, stone buildings flanked every side of the square, and paths opened to the north, south, east, and west. Yugi was curious as to where they led but the large crowd gathered in the square stole his attention. They were staring at him and whispering. Yugi glanced down at his pajamas and blushed.

            “They’re…” The pharaoh’s hesitation worried Yugi. The man hesitated maybe once a year. His shocked expression only made Yugi worry more. “They’re Duel Monsters.”

            “What?” Yugi said on instinct. He looked back to the crowd, and this time he focused on the little details: the pointed ears of the Celtic Guardian, the perched form of Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress on a distant roof, and the pointed cap of who they’d recognized earlier: Dark Magician Girl. “What- where _are_ we? Have we been sucked into another virtual reality program?”

            “They’re moving,” the pharaoh observed. The crowd was parting, and a dark figure emerged from the path they created. This monster wore bulky armor of dark gold color, and a black cape trailed from its steps. It held a lengthy white sword in its grip. A helmet covered its head, and a black visor shadowed its features. It walked past Yugi and the pharaoh and into the alley they’d awoken in.

            “Bui! Bui!” A brown fuzzball landed in Yugi’s arms. He smiled and patted Kuriboh’s head. Its eyes upturned with its glee. Kuriboh floated from his grasp and pushed Yugi towards the armored monster. “Buiii!”

            “I think it’s telling us to follow that monster,” Yugi said, “but should we?”

            “I believe we should place faith in our monsters,” the pharaoh said, and that was that. They sprinted to catch up with the armored monster. “Excuse me. Are you leading us somewhere?”

            The monster continued on without word. Yugi glanced to Kuriboh, whose eyes were tilted down. Yugi decided it was his turn. “H-hey, you! Knight man! At least, I assume you’re a knight, with the armor and sword and stuff. A-anyway, if you want something from us, you need to talk to us!”

            The knight stopped in stick-straight form like a military salute. In a fluid turn of the heel the knight faced him, and its cape swirled with the movement like a stalking shadow. Yugi was overcome with the sense that he was in the presence of something so ancient and different from himself it was beyond his comprehension.

            The knight pointed up a set of stairs leading to a sky-blue pavilion and led the way. Yugi gulped down any arguments he had. Kuriboh offered a supportive pat on his shoulder.

            At the pavilion’s apex, sunlight glittered on a trio of icy statues. The crystalline figures were lifelike renditions of three gigantic dragons, and they formed a triangle around an altar in the center of the pavilion.

            The knight marched to the far dragon and paused in its stick-straight position again. Yugi pulled himself out of his amazement from the draconic statues and ran to the knight’s side with the pharaoh.

            The knight pointed to the dragon’s head. Yugi craned his neck to see a large sword stuck in the statue’s eye. The knight held the hilt of its blade in both hands, angled the point towards the floor, and thrust it into the earth. It slowly removed the sword and gestured towards Yugi and the pharaoh with its hand as if to say it was their turn.

            “I think it’s telling us to remove the sword from the dragon,” the pharaoh said.

            “How? It’s all the way up there!”

            The knight snapped its fingers. Wings of light reminiscent of a dragon’s shot from its back. The same sprouted from Yugi’s and the pharaoh’s. Yugi yelped as his new wings flapped once, propelling him into the sky. After a few seconds of riding the air beside the dragon statue’s head, his panic transformed into joy. “We’re flying! We’re really flying!”

            A _thunk_ sounded from below. The knight had slammed its sword into the ground again and was drawing it out. The pharaoh said, “We have to focus. Take the sword!”

            They grabbed the massive, golden hilt together. They pulled with all the strength their muscles allowed, and the wings of light flapped frantically.

            _Crack_.

            Yugi and the pharaoh yanked the sword from the statue. The large weapon slipped from their grasp. Its blade shattered upon impact with the ground. The wings spread, catching air to lower them to the floor.

            Tinkling sounded from the statue. The ice around the eye broke into pieces and sprinkled to the pavilion floor. Cyan scales caught the light. Section by section, the ice shed from the statue, and a living, breathing dragon was born. It stomped its feet, lifted its wings, and roared in triumph.

            “All three of them are real,” the pharaoh said in disbelief. “The dragon was trapped, and we freed it.”

            Yugi flipped around to face the ancient knight. It was holding the hilt of the broken sword in its hands. The light reflected from the dragon’s scales lifted the shadow from the knight’s face. Yugi saw a smile – not of joy but one bittersweet and showing weariness.

            The knight nodded to him. He opened his mouth to speak, but in that instant, everything went black.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Yugi pushed up from his blanket and smacked his lips. Ugh, dry. Water water water. He sat up, rubbed at his eyes with one hand, and reached for the glass by his bed with the other. He took a long gulp and set the cup back down.

            Something blue blurred through the sloshing water. Yugi squinted. He hadn’t left anything else on the nightstand. He pushed aside the glass and picked up the card hiding behind it.

            His breath caught. The artwork was the dragon from his dreams standing on a rocky field. Morning light filtered through the skylight onto the iridescent letters on the card’s heading: “The Eye of Timaeus.”

            “Timaeus could be the dragon’s name.”

            Yugi glanced up at the specter-like pharaoh standing at his bedside. “You think the dream was real?”

            “It would be unwise to distrust our gut feeling.”

            “Does that mean all the monsters were real? Where was that place? And who’s Timaeus?” Yugi gripped the card tighter. “I know. I’ll ask Rebecca!”

            “Rebecca?”

            “Professor Hawkins’ daughter, the one who challenged us that one time,” Yugi said while getting dressed. “She sent me a message the other day about how she’s seen the duels on the news, and she has something she wants to tell us about the Orichalcos.”

            “Why do you think she knows something about this dragon?”

            Yugi smiled. “You said to trust my gut feeling, and mine is telling me it’s no coincidence we had a dream about this dragon the same time the soul stealing is going on.”

            The pharaoh smiled back. “Then what are we waiting for?”

            Yugi ran downstairs, hollered a good-by to his grandfather, and left the game shop. On the way to the museum, he made sure to keep his eye peeled for the woman with the eyepatch.

            “I appreciate it, Yugi,” the pharaoh said.

            “I’m sure she’ll turn up eventually!” Yugi said. The pharaoh had practically begged him and his friends to comb Domino City for her, but they never got lucky. Well, Yugi and Téa didn’t. He was pretty sure Joey and Tristan went to a park and looked at memes instead. In truth, he’d put off seeing Rebecca to try to find the white-haired girl instead.

            “I have to be honest with you, Yugi,” he said. “I have a more personal reason for finding her beyond stopping the soul-stealing. I think she may know my past self. I know it’s selfish, but I want to speak to her again.”

            “You mean from Egypt?” Yugi asked, and he nodded. “But that was so long ago.”

            “When her cohorts spoke of me, they called me ‘pharaoh.’ She, however, called me the ‘prince of Egypt’ as though she recognized me. I didn’t mention this before, but during Joey and Mai’s duel, I could swear she was looking at my spirit form. I thought it a coincidence at the time, but…”

            “Everything added up is simply too many coincidences!” Yugi said with a firm nod. He hooked his thumbs beneath his backpack straps as he entered the museum. His sneakers squeaked against the sea of tiles making up the floor. He reached for his wallet to pay the entry fare.

            A voice stopped him. “No need for that, young man. You are a guest of mine.”

            Professor Arthur Hawkins greeted Yugi with his mustachioed grin, and his smile lines said it wasn’t an abnormal occurrence. Yugi returned the gesture with ease at the old man’s charm. “Great to see you again! I got Rebecca’s letter-”

            “ _Yugi_!”

            A blur sprinted at him and tackled him in an embrace. Rebecca peeled off of him and had to readjust her red-rimmed glasses to keep them from falling off her face. “Oh, my love, we have been kept apart for far too long!”

            Yugi scratched beneath his hair and tried to keep his smile from being too awkward. “Uh, y-yeah. I’m mostly here because I heard you knew something about the Orichalcos.”

            “Ah, yes, of course. Right this way,” the Professor said. Yugi followed him through the museum halls, which were mostly empty on the weekday morning. Between Professor Hawkins’ tan suit and Rebecca’s museum attendant outfit, Yugi felt underdressed in his school uniform. He prayed Joey wouldn’t make fun of him for wearing it while school wasn’t in session; the garments were the comfiest he owned.

            As they walked past the Ancient Egypt exhibit, Yugi couldn’t help but cast a longing glance towards the frozen tablet. The pharaoh had been so close to uncovering his secrets, but they had to get caught up in this mess.

            He breathed in and stood up straighter. All that meant was they’d have to clear up the Orichalcos issue as soon as possible.

            And they would.

            “I appreciate your positivity, partner,” the pharaoh commented.

            The adjoining hall contained a new exhibit fresh off the moving trucks. Three large, stone slabs splashed with color were hanging in glass cases on the furthermost wall. Rebecca and the Professor showed him there first. Besides being colored, Yugi noted some interesting differences between these slabs and the Egyptian tablet. They were taller and rectangular in shape, but they were not preserved as well; the tops and bottoms were faded.

            Professor Hawkins pointed to the leftmost slab. It depicted a bright city resting upon curves of blue waves. Jagged, green circles rained from the sky. “These were recovered from an expedition deep below the ocean’s surface. We discovered what we believe to be the lost city of Atlantis, an ancient civilization that rose to power around the same time Egypt did. Atlantis was said to have achieved incredible technological advancements for their time until their entire city sunk to the bottom of the sea. The ‘green rain’ you see here was a mystery to me until I had a close look at what you left for me, Yugi.”

            Hawkins pulled a necklace out of his pocket, and the bright green stone making up its pendant sparkled. It’d been left behind by the guy who’d first challenged Yugi to a duel with the Seal of Orichalcos – the man who’d stolen the god cards.

            “At first, I thought the slab showed strange weather phenomenon, but now I believe it to be these stones. We have not discovered what they are or are capable of, but they were a central part of Atlantis’s culture. Its uses ranged from the tools and technology we found to jewelry and statue adornment.”

            He dropped the necklace into Yugi’s hands. Yugi clasped it around his own neck. “In any case, you may have it back. I appreciate you thinking of me. As for the next two, I’ll let you have a look yourself before I say anything.”

            Yugi scanned the pair of slabs and gasped. “That’s the Seal of Orichalcos, and – the Egyptian gods!”

            The central display showed a pair of tiny people inside the Seal, which was accurately depicted. One person was standing while the other was laying on their side; the standing figure appeared to be holding a weapon. Several other fallen figures were carved outside the seal. Black lines connected those figures to a giant, snakelike silhouette in the sky.

            In the next panel, the silhouette was filled into a horrendous monster with a pair of large, yellow eyes. A beam firing from its mouth met with a matching stream of power from Slifer the Sky Dragon, Obelisk the Tormenter, and The Winged Dragon of Ra.

            “There are panels missing,” Professor Hawkins said, gesturing towards the slabs’ jagged edges, “and we have not yet uncovered the truth behind the images. When I saw the Seal of Orichalcos in the televised duel and how it matched this image perfectly, however, I knew that whatever is occurring right now is tied to Atlantis in some way.”

            “You see it, too, don’t you Yugi?” the pharaoh asked from behind him. “The reason why they are gathering souls and why they stole the Egyptian gods.”

            “That big monster,” Yugi muttered while observing the reptile soaring in the slab’s sky. “But what’s it for?”

            “By the claims of the girl we dueled, to eliminate humanity,” the pharaoh answered. “If the gods are the only way to fight it, and we don’t have them-”

            “Yugi! If you’re staying out, you’d better make sure you’re careful!” Rebecca exclaimed. “If you ended up like one of those people suddenly falling ill, I don’t know what I’d do!”

            “Huh? What’re you talking about?”

            She rolled her eyes. “It’s been _all_ over the news! Someone will show up lying on the ground in a coma, and nobody knows the cause. Weeell, there are guesses. I hear that one girl was spotted nearby after a sleeper was found. Y’know, ‘the girl who folded against the King of Games?’”

            Yugi’s throat tightened. So many souls had been taken that it’s appeared on the news? Professor Hawkins said, “They say enough sleepers have appeared that entire hospital wards have been filled. Do be careful, my boy. Surely Solomon could not stand to see you in such a state. Thank you for your visit, Yugi. I’m off to supervise more unloading!”

            He hummed a too-cheery tune as he walked away. Yugi said, “Rebecca. Have you heard anything else about the, er, ‘sleepers?’”

            “Oh, yeah. It’s all people have been talking about. They say the ghostly girl forces you into a duel, and when she wins, you sleep. Forever. Spooky, right? She came into the museum the other day. We didn’t have the slabs up yet, but she looked at the other displays and acted like she knew allll about it. Ugh, I can’t stand people like that.”

            “But what if-” Yugi gulped. His gaze stuck on the one standing person in the middle slab, the one in the Seal of Orichalcos. “What if she _does_ know about it?”

            “Atlantis is a big mystery. There’s nothing like a Rosetta Stone for it, so we have no way of reliably translating their language. They kept themselves cut off from the rest of the world, after all.”

            “Here’s what I mean,” Yugi said. “You know how the other me, the pharaoh, can exist today? The Professor said Atlantis and Egypt were in their prime around the same time period. What if there was someone from Atlantis living today, too – someone ancient?”

            “Nah, there’s no way!” Rebecca said. “There’s no record of them valuing the afterlife like the Egyptians did. Besides. Atlantis sunk, Yugi. Nothing survived. It’s a miracle dad found it.”

            Yugi swallowed breaths to calm himself. “Okay, thanks, Rebecca. You’ve really helped me a lot. Oh! One last thing. Do you know anything about this card? I had a really strange dream about it.”

            He flashed the Eye of Timaeus to her. Her forehead creased. “Eh, no, never seen it in my life.”

            “Are you sure? I just know it’s connected to all this somehow!”

            Rebecca threw up her hands. “Sorry, Yugi. Maybe we would know the name Timaeus if we could translate their language, but as is?”

            She gave a thumbs-down and blew a disheartening raspberry. Yugi sighed. “Okay, that’s fine. Thank you anyways, Rebecca. I think I’m going to head off now.”

            “You make sure to be careful now!” Rebecca planted a kiss on his cheek. “I don’t know what I’d do if I couldn’t see that face anymore!”

            Yugi blushed and wiped at his cheek as he left the museum. He tried to think through the warm haze in his mind; he needed a plan of action to find that girl.

            “Ay, Yug!”

            “Hey, Joey.” He looked up with a smile, but it fell once he noticed his friend’s panic.

            “Listen, you gotta help me- hey, are you wearing your school uniform? It’s summer, dude! Anyway, I lost a couple things. First and foremost, I can’t find Serenity anywhere. She’s not in her room or Duke’s at the hospital, and those’re the only places she’s been since break started. Two, my duel disk is gone – deck and everything. I swear I left it on the counter this time!”

            “Missing? Now?” Yugi gulped. “This is bad. Really, really bad. Let’s split up and look for her!”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Rahlin held up her arms as a wave crashed over her. Her life points fell to 400. Her opponent’s spiked, black hair bounced with his laugh. He said, “You’ve brought the might of the very sea itself upon you now! My Spiral Serpent is one of the strongest cards in the game, and your Seal of Orichalcos can’t change that!”

            Her arms dropped to her sides. At 2900 attack, he wasn’t wrong about his monster. She’d kept her momentum up most of the duel, but with one strike from that monstrosity, she’d lost her lead. His 1300 life counter seemed to mock her all on its own.

            Her opponent stuck a thumb beneath his headband and smirked. “Your reign of terror ends next turn! My turn’s over!”

            Rahlin heaved two breaths. Her heart thumped. Was it really over? If she lost, her soul would be gone, but perhaps that was for the best. After all, if she lost again, she’d be useless to her patron.

            Useless. The mere thought of the word caused her to wince. She drew her card and muttered, “I’m not useless.”

            “What was that?” her opponent asked.

            She straightened and held her head high. She was ready to be rid of him. Quite frankly, he smelled too much like dead fish. Rahlin said, “I summon Dragunity Dux, but don’t get too used to seeing him. I send him to the grave to special summon Dragunity Arma Mystletainn from my hand. When Mystletainn is special summoned, I can equip a monster from my grave to him – like Dragunity Pilum.”

            A golden dragon flew to the field on black-webbed wings. It twirled a silver spear in its claws and aimed it at her opponent. Mystletainn’s 2100 attack increased to 2600 thanks to the Seal of Orichalcos. A small, green dragon soared from the grave and attached itself to Mystletainn’s spear.

            “Ha! I knew it! Even with your Seal’s boost, you can’t defeat Spiral Serpent!” he mocked. “I’ll be taking that win straight to the tournament’s main bracket, thank you very much!”

            Rahlin pointed at his chest. “Dragunity Arma Mystletainn attacks you directly.”

            “ _What_? You can’t just ignore Spiral Serpent! That’s not how the game works!”

            “When Dragunity Pilum is operating as an equip card, the monster it is attached to can attack directly with half damage. 2600 split in half makes 1300 damage delivered straight to your life points.”

            “But- but that’s-” He frantically scanned his field. His hand and backline were empty. Mystletainn lobbed its spear in his direction. It phased through Spiral Serpent and landed between her opponent’s feet. His life points dropped to zero.

            He attempted to back away from the encroaching Seal of Orichalcos. His back hit the Seal’s invisible wall. The double circle spiraled closer and closer. He banged his fists and screamed, but there was no escape. Neon green light shot upwards, and his empty vessel landed on the concrete.

            Rahlin stumbled past him and leaned heavily on the corner of an apartment complex. She rubbed at the dark circle beneath her eye and watched the ocean. Massive ships were docked in Domino City’s port. A storm brewed beyond them.

            She breathed in deep, longing to taste the salt in the air, but it tasted like industrial smoke and dying sea creatures. Rahlin coughed and dropped to her knees. Standing was such a chore. Everything was.

            Fifty.

            Fifty souls were added to the total by her hand since her patron had scolded her. She wouldn’t be useless or dead weight or a regretted decision anymore. Maybe she hadn’t slept and maybe she was so hungry her fingers were shaking, but she wasn’t useless.

            For the first time since starting her string of abusing the tournament system’s glitch, Rahlin thought she had done enough. In fact, she felt somewhat proud. She might could go home and sleep without getting stuck on what time she was wasting or what she could be doing better.

            Rahlin shuffled her cards back into her deck and deactivated her disk. The tool of war wouldn’t be necessary for a while. She walked beside the docks, keeping her eye on the spire of DOMA’s building at the city’s center.

            “I challenge you to a duel!”

            Her eye twitched out of disbelief or sheer exhaustion or both. The Chaos duel disk had activated on her own, and the display made no sense. Joey Wheeler had challenged her to a duel, it read. The feminine voice that had issued the challenged was _not_ Joey Wheeler.

            A red-haired girl stared at her. Rahlin could swear she’d seen the chick before, but her fatigue blocked the effort of finding the memory. Rahlin said, “You… you don’t want to do this.”

            “I’m sure I do!” she yelled. “You took Duke away from me, so I’ll keep that from happening to anyone else!”

            Duke. Why did that name keep coming up again and again? Rahlin said, “You can retract the challenge as long as you don’t make a move.”

            “I would never! I’ll be brave and a hero like my friends and brother taught me! I’m using my brother’s deck, and he’s only lost to Kaiba’s Blue-Eyes White Dragons!”

            Rahlin squinted. This girl was Joey Wheeler’s sister, and she was using his deck. Wheeler was in the top three of the power rankings. This may not have been the duelist Joey Wheeler, but his deck was nothing to take lightly. Rahlin could not afford to lose. She glanced to her deck. It glowed green for a moment, indicating the deck swapping.

            “You’re going first!” the girl said.

            Her teeth seemed to be chattering. Rahlin said, “I summon Totem Dragon in defense position, set a card, and pass turn.”

            “I play Panther Warrior and attack your monster!” The purple monster remained perched on her side of the field. “Umm? Why isn’t it attacking?”

            “…It’s in your monster’s ability,” Rahlin said. “It can’t attack without making a tribute first, which would require you to have another monster on the field.”

            “Oh. Then I summon-”

            “Wait!” Rahlin shouted. “You can’t make two summons in a turn unless it’s a special summon. Have you ever played this game?”

            “Um,” she said. “I end my turn.”

            Rahlin drew and wondered what the hell she had gotten herself into. If she were being forced into a duel, she may as well get something out of it. “I activate the Seal of Orichalcos!”

            The girl on the opposite end of the field tossed the Seal’s double rings frightened looks. Rahlin said, “Isn’t this what you wanted? To stop me by taking my soul?”

            “Now that it’s real, I- I don’t know how they do this so often,” she murmured.

            Rahlin wondered what she was talking about, cleared her throat, and recited, “‘Two worthy souls meet in combat upon sacred, scarred earth. The bested becomes as sacrifice towards the world’s purification. The Orichalcos will not cease until a soul is Sealed.’”

            The Seal of Orichalcos blazed brighter. Rahlin commanded, “Totem Dragon’s ability lets her be used as two tributes if I’m summoning a Dragon-type. I’m releasing her for the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!”

            Totem Dragon separated into two orbs of light, which melded into a single pillar. The light split like curtains, and the Blue-Eyes tore through the opening. Waning daylight shone against the dragon’s marred left eye. A nearby ship blasted its horn, deafening the field for a few moments.

            During the blast, Rahlin had gotten caught in a daydream about reuniting with Mai’s couch. Which was soft. Very soft, and comfy, and-

            “Isn’t it your turn?” the girl called.

            “I, I uh, yeah, it is. Blue-Eyes White Dragon attacks Panther Warrior.” Electricity swarmed onto her screaming monster. Her life dropped to 2500. Rahlin heard some muttering nearby. Several men in black suits were surrounding the duel field. Had they always been there? Rahlin returned her attention to the duel. Rahlin said, “Turn end.”

            “I’ll summon Battle Warrior!”

            Rahlin blinked. “You… you summoned it in attack position.”

            “Yeah! It’s called Battle Warrior, and it’s one of my brother’s favorites!”

            Rahlin cringed. It was a Normal Monster with 700 attack. She wondered if the girl had really stolen Wheeler’s deck. No way Battle Warrior would be in a high-level deck. The girl said, “Battle Warrior attacks Blue-Eyes White Dragon!”

            “No! You-”

            The Blue-Eyes tossed off Battle Warrior, who crashed into the girl. Her life points dropped to zero, and the Seal of Orichalcos shrank to fit her form. She looked… terrified. A column of green light consumed the girl’s soul. Her limp body collapsed on the ground.

            For the first time in the aftermath of a Seal duel, Rahlin’s heart twisted.

            Rough hands grabbed Rahlin’s shoulders. Two of the men in black suits had her in their iron grip. She attempted to shake them off, but her own exhaustion kept her weak. “What- what do you want?”

            A man wearing thick sunglasses paced back and forth in front of her. He was speaking into a device he held against his ear. “Yes, that’s right. We saw the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in person. I understand, Mr. Kaiba. We’ll be there soon.”

            He snapped the device shut and nodded to one of the men holding Rahlin. “Send her under.”

            A rag was forced over her mouth and nose. Its scent smelled sweet, so sweet, too sweet, and her world went dark.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Dartz was bored. It wasn’t anything new; he’d been bored for thousands of years. He thought it would be different when the open reaping began. Perhaps expecting the pace to pick up to lightspeed was too optimistic. The two young boys standing before him, however, made him long for humanity’s existence to be wiped away in the next second.

            Rex Raptor and Weevil Underwood, as they introduced themselves, had been on a rant about Yugi Muto and Joey Wheeler for at least five minutes. The blue-haired one with the bug glasses was rocking one of the boardroom chairs back and forth as though it were a person he wished to choke. The other had his hands clamped to his own red beanie as he shouted his complaints to the heavens. Dartz spoke above them to Rafael: “Why are you wasting my time with these imbeciles?”

            “What’d he call us?” Weevil muttered to Rex.

            “Pretty sure he called us ‘invincible,’ dude.”

            “Awesome!”

            “My apologies, Master Dartz,” Rafael said. “As I said, they followed me in, and I couldn’t get rid of them. I figured we have nothing to lose by giving them the Seal.”

            While Dartz wished to keep his _human_ ties to a minimum, Rafael did have a point. DOMA had nothing to lose by issuing more Seals of Orichalcos. That meant staring at the sniveling brats longer than necessary, but in the best scenarios, they wouldn’t last long.

            Dartz held out his palm and swept his arm in a sideways arc. A pair of small rectangles appeared in a white light among the air he had touched. Two cards materialized and fluttered into the boys’ grasps. Their eyes widened as they observed their new Field Spells.

            “On the second floor, you will find a myriad of cards available for use. Feel free to take any you like.” Dartz turned his back on them and commanded, “Go now and sow discord.”

            Rex and Weevil glanced to each other. Rafael said, “He’s telling you to leave.”

            The pair sprinted to the exit with gleeful grins. Weevil said, “Yugi won’t stand a chance against me with this!”

            “And did you hear what he said about free cards?” Rex said.

            The relief was noticeable on Dartz’s face as the elevator slid shut. Rafael said, “I haven’t been able to locate the pharaoh, and the slots for the main bracket will be filled up soon.”

            “That’s fine. You will surely meet him in bracket. Secure your three wins and be done with it.”

            “Understood. Is there anything else you would like from me?”

            “No, I-”

            Instant pain struck Dartz’s heart like a stray bolt of lightning. He clutched at his chest, doubled over, and grimaced. Rafael reached for him with startled expression. “What’s wrong, Master? Do I need to call someone?”

            “ _Rahlin_ ,” he pleaded. “Where is Rahlin?”

            “Her? I’m not sure. She hasn’t been at our meetings in the past few days.”

            Dartz begged through wheezes of breath, “Find her. I fear she- something terrible has happened.”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Rahlin blinked the sleep out of her eye. She reached up to wipe her face. Her hand wouldn’t move. She tried to rip her wrists away from each other, but they were locked together behind her back. She shook her head and attempted to get a grasp on her surroundings.

            A steady _thwump, thwump, thwump_ sounded above her in perfect rhythm. Rahlin’s hazy vision adjusted to a pair of seats in front of her. She was sitting in the back, and someone filled the space next to her.

            Seto Kaiba had one leg crossed over his other knee, and his arms were draped over the back of the seat. He had his regular look of being angry at something, anything. Rahlin spoke and it felt as though she did so through a mouth stuffed with cotton. “What? What’re you… what we- what-”

            “Too bad the drug didn’t do anything for that annoying stutter of yours.” His voice was cutting and hateful; she wanted to fire something back but her mind was incapable of processing her most basic thoughts. “You are here because you defied our verbal contract. I told you there are exactly three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, and yet I learn of you once again breaking the universal law. That means you pay the price.”

            Seto Kaiba hauled Rahlin up by the arm and pulled open the sliding door to his right. A gust of wind blew through the cabin, flapping Rahlin’s tie and the tails of Kaiba’s trenchcoat in all directions. It took her a moment to register what she was seeing: the entire spread of Domino City, miles below them. The _thwump thwump_ was the spinning of the helicopter rotor’s blades. Kaiba pulled her against him so he could speak into her ear to be heard over the wind: “Tell me where the Blue-Eyes are or you fall.”

            Drowsiness scattered for the adrenaline of fear. Rahlin exclaimed, “That’s insane! I can’t give them to you! You’ll destroy them!”

            “Whatever it takes to uphold the universal law.”

            “There is no universal law!” Rahlin yelled. “You don’t understand! If you destroy my cards, you’re killing a real dragon! You wouldn’t kill an innocent being, would you?”

            “The ramblings of an insane person will be easily lost as a splat on the pavement.”

            Rahlin’s muscles tightened. She wanted to attempt escape but knew it would only make things worse. They were perched on the very edge of the aircraft, which leaned towards the ground because of the weight distribution. “Y-you really think you could get away with killing me?”

            “Yes,” he said without pause. His empty, blue irises didn’t shift a millimeter. “There is not a record on you. As far as civilization is concerned, you do not exist. You falling here would have less impact to the world as a pebble falling in a pond would.”

            Rahlin gulped but it did nothing for the lump in her throat. Did he have to use the word ‘impact?’ Wasn’t there anyone who would miss her? Mai would probably be happy after what Rahlin pulled on her. Dartz would feel the same way.

            She could give him what he wanted, but that would mean betraying the dragons to save her own skin. She could not imagine anything more dishonorable. There was no other option.

            For honor and duty above all, Rahlin breathed in deep. She shouted, “Egos like you are why I hate people! You could cause the suffering of millions and not care so long as it’s to your benefit! You’ll get yours, Seto Kaiba. Whether I die or not, the engine of humanity’s destruction will wipe your species off the face of the planet. When it does, I’ll be laughing at you from hell!”

            Kaiba wasn’t even looking at her. The collar of his trenchcoat flashed. Rahlin thought she heard a garbled voice speaking to him. He gripped the collar and confirmed, “Ready.”

            He pushed her out of the helicopter. Rahlin fell towards Domino City screaming.


	6. A Rainbow Born Only in a Storm

            Rahlin twisted in midair. She watched Domino City’s skyscrapers rush closer and closer. She prayed for her disbelief to be real, that time would stop, that she would wake up from this nightmare.

            The wind in her ears screamed this wasn’t some dream. She ripped her arms against her bonded wrists to no avail. Rahlin glanced over her shoulder. Her Chaos duel disk had appeared on her arm as she willed it.

            Rahlin angled her hand towards her disk, but her fingers wouldn’t reach her deck. All she needed was to touch that top card. Rahlin yanked her hands back and forth, but the zip tie wouldn’t give.

            She fell past the DOMA roof. She felt every pump of her pulse in every square inch of her body. Rahlin stretched her fingers toward the deck. Nothing. She wouldn’t make it. She wouldn’t.

            Rahlin gasped. The top card wasn’t tucked all the way into the deck slot. She bashed the duel disk against her body and strained her wrist against the zip tie. Her fingers reached the loose card.

            The Blue-Eyes White Dragon materialized below her. She slammed into its wing and rolled off. A glass window shattered upon her impact. She landed inside an apartment, tumbled over a table, and collapsed on a carpet. A high-pitched scream kept her awake. A drink spilled onto the floor, and porcelain cracked on the ground.

            “Yes, 911? This is an emergency! Please send an ambulance right away! My address is…” The frantic voice flickered with Rahlin’s consciousness. A gentle nudge awoke her. Her eye was swimming. “The paramedics are on their way! Oh, gracious, you’re all tied up. Let me help you!”

            The pair of feet pattered away. Attempts focus on her own breathing were weak. She swore her right leg was in tremendous pain moments ago. Now she felt numb.

            “Here, um… I’ll have to move you a little bit. Sorry.” Her arms were slightly adjusted to the side. A _snip_ later, Rahlin’s hands were freed. She rubbed at her wrists. “Would it help if you sat up? You could lean against the table right here.”

            “S-sure.”

            She was slowly lifted to an upright position. Rahlin leaned back and heaved shaky breaths. She heard a light gasp beside her. The environment was fuzzy to her but she could focus on a pair of widened, brown eyes. She followed their line of sight to view her own leg. Jagged shards of glass were stabbed into her thigh. Blood dripped down her pants.

            The person sitting beside her was captured in his own shock, and incoherent mutterings tumbled from his throat. Rahlin reached out and set a hand on his shoulder. She was forced to speak through her shallow breathing. “Look, don’t… don’t worry. It’s… fine, okay?”

            His hands fell from his face, and his expression relaxed. “Goodness, look at me. You’re the one who’s in trouble, yet _you’re_ the one comforting _me_. What can I do to help? Would you like a glass of water?”

            The way he said ‘water’ was strange to her. She chalked it up to a mixture of the lack of sleep, whatever drug Kaiba’s suits gave her, and the near-death experience. “Um. Yeah, I guess.”

            He rushed off to a different area of the apartment. Rahlin was able to see more of her surroundings. Broken glass littered the floor. She’d landed on the table and fallen between its legs and a cabinet. A potted plant sat on the granite tabletop.

            The boy crouched next to her and held the glass out to her. She held it in her hand, and the sensation of the water’s cool temperature affecting the skin of her fingers through her gloves awoke her. This was real, it was really happening; Rahlin had well and truly fallen through someone’s apartment window because Seto Kaiba threw her out of a helicopter.

            Rahlin reached forward and poured the water into the plant’s roots. She said, “Your friend’s… looking a little droopy. Make sure you pour close to the soil. Otherwise, it… it might not be getting the water it needs.”

            The tilting of his head showed his confusion. “But, but that was for…”

            “Hey,” Rahlin began, but she was forced to stop and catch her breath. She touched her leg. Her gloved hand came away bloodied. “I- I’m, I’m really sorry about this.”

            The shock crashed over her. Rahlin lost consciousness.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Raindrops pitter pattered onto the windowsill. Dark clouds cast their shadows upon Domino City. The afternoon was dark and bleak as midnight. The hospital room was quiet as a morgue but for the machine beeps and raindrops’ steady taps on the window pane.

            There was a gentle sound, one easy to miss by human standards. The hitching of her breath was as easy to miss as a breeze passing over the rim of a champagne glass.

            But he noticed. In a low voice, Dartz said, “She’s awake.”

            Mai leaned forward in the visitor’s chair beside him. Her hands slid over the edges of the armrests and tightened into a white-knuckle grip. The chair creaked with her movement.

            Rahlin’s eye fluttered open. Her fingers clenched the cloth of her bedding. She leaned up from the pair of pillows propped beneath her. Her muscles felt stiff, especially in her legs. She covered her pale, scarred arms with her hands and glanced down at the paper gown covering too little of her skin. “Where-”

            Her voice was cracked from her dry throat. She coughed and reached for the water by her bed. The Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon plushie Mai had bought her on her first day rested beside the glass. Rahlin downed the cool tap water and said, “Where am I?”

            Dartz spoke up. “You’re in the hospital, Rahlin. You’ve been here since your accident two weeks ago.”

            “Two weeks,” she wheezed. “What about the tournament?”

            “Do not fear, my child.” He kept his voice gentle and quiet. The silver bar across his lap kept his hands occupied. “The main bracket will begin in the coming days, and you’re in. I’m proud of all the work you’ve done and the sacrifices you’ve made for DOMA. You are as exemplary as ever.”

            “You’re being too nice,” she muttered. “Did something happen?”

            Mai clasped her hands together. Her expression was uncharacteristically downcast. “Rahlin, you need to know what the doctor said.”

            “It doesn’t matter.” She threw off the blankets. “I need to study up on my match.”

            “Wait, please,” Mai pleaded. Rahlin set her feet on the floor. She pushed off the bed, took a step, and she fell. Rahlin leaned up on her palms and shook her head. Her legs were still stiff. It’d been two weeks, after all.

            Mai said, “Rahlin…”

            Rahlin pulled herself to her feet using the handle on the hospital bed. She was forced to lean heavily on her right side in particular. She stepped away from the bed.

            And she fell.

            “Rahlin, _stop_ ,” Mai urged. Her eyes were shivering and her mouth twitched downward. Dartz could not bring himself to move. Despair leaked into his heart. Her hope should not have to be snuffed out. Yet…

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Rahlin hauled herself up to stand by the hospital bed once more. She had come to the conclusion that her right leg had a bad case of falling asleep. At the moment, she couldn’t feel it, and it wasn’t quite responding to what she wanted it to do. Rahlin figured more movement would help, so she attempted another step.

            And she fell.

            “Stop it!” Mai shouted. Her voice was shaking, and tears sparkled at the corners of her eyes. “Don’t you get it yet? You’re crippled, Rahlin! It doesn’t matter how many times you get back up and try. You’ll never be able to walk on your own again.”

            Rahlin froze. She was on her hands and knees, and her eye was wide and empty. It wasn’t real. It was all some dream, some miserable nightmare. Mai Valentine would not break down into tears on her behalf. Her patron would not be forlorn because of her condition. There was no condition. She could walk. She was fine. It had to be some mistake.

            An outstretched hand entered her vision. She glanced up to see Mai’s face, her tears dashed with black from her makeup. She said, “You can’t do it alone, Rahlin.”

            Rahlin took her hand, and Mai pulled her to her feet. Rahlin nearly fell again but Mai’s support saved her. Rahlin’s body quaked as she realized she was relying on someone else for something as simple as standing. But.

            But no. It had to be a mistake.

            A hand squeezed her shoulder. She met the multicolored eyes of her patron. He whispered, “The doctor explained the glass you impacted with lodged in your right leg and severed your nerves. They were able to remove it, but there is no way to repair control back to the area. The humans of this world are so cruel. I’m sorry you’ve had to suffer under their hands again, my child. I’m so, so sorry.”

            Her expression was blank. She was waiting for the nightmare’s end. The punchline. Anything to tell her it wasn’t happening – it never happened.

            Something cold touched her fingers. It was the silver object Dartz was holding earlier. He said, “I had this made for you. It was the best I could think of to do for you. If there is anything else you need, anything at all, I am at your beck and call.”

            Her hand fitted onto a smooth handle. It was a cane. Her cane. Below the handle, a curved, silver dragon was intricately carved into the design. Its eye was marked by a blue gem. The length of the cane had artwork of the same dragon in upwards flight.

            It was beautiful, a true masterpiece, and Rahlin despised it. She wanted to throw it out the window and watch the raindrops mar it as though they were the dragon’s tears. She didn’t want it to exist. There was no need for it to exist.

            Instead she found she could not move at all. Dartz called her name but she was hyper focused on the cane, the evidence of her crumbling reality. Dartz moved away from her, and Mai said, “She might be having some sort of breakdown.”

            Dartz observed her, her arms shaking and eye wide, and his face fell. He asked, “Could you stay with her? I fear for Alister’s rashness after he learned of her condition and who caused it.”

            Mai glanced down at the girl clutching onto her with shaking hands. “Yes, that’s fine.”

            After Dartz left, Mai muttered to Rahlin that she could help her back onto the bed. No response. She hooked her arm under Rahlin’s legs with no resistance. The blank girl was behaving as though she were a doll. Mai placed her on the bed and, on a whim, passed her the Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon plush.

            To Mai’s surprise, Rahlin swiped it out of her grip and hugged it against herself. Mai said, “Take all the time you need, kid.”

            She reached for the book she’d brought that was resting on the visitor chairs, but a knock interrupted her. She swung open the door and angled her head down to meet the dark eyes of the child who’d bothered her. She said, “No. Oh, no, you are not going to disturb her.”

            “C’mon, please!” he begged. He reached his arms towards Mai in a gesture of desperation. The movement caused his necklace, a backwards Duel Monsters card, to clink. “I just want to offer whatever I can. I feel really bad. I was the one with the setup to catch her, but her trajectory suddenly changed out of nowhere!”

            “You’re just here to try to make yourself feel better, not her,” Mai said. “You may as well scamper back to your big brother.”

            “No way!” he shouted. “There were some things I needed to tell you guys, anyway. For one, KaibaCorp is covering all the medical bills. For two, if we need to cover anything else-”

            “She’s not up for talking right now,” Mai said. She started to shut the door.

            “Wait.”

            Mai stopped. The young boy peeked through the small crack left behind. The girl in the hospital bed had leaned forward, and her one eye was laser focused on him. She said, “As a matter of fact, there is something I would like from KaibaCorp.”

            The boy shouldered through the door and past Mai. He ran a hand through his long, black hair and said, “That’s great! My name’s Mokuba, and I want to do whatever I can to help you out!”

            “Mokuba,” Rahlin repeated. “I fell into an apartment. I would like for you to fix anything I happened to ruin when I did. I know a window is broken for sure, but anything else – furniture, decorations, anything – repair or replace it.”

            “Got it!” he said. “I know exactly which apartment you’re talking about, too. Don’t you want anything for yourself, though?”

            “I would like for you to leave right now.”

            He acted as though he’d been slapped in the face. “O-oh, right. I’ll go get that done. Roland! Time to go!”

            Mokuba sprinted out the door. Mai listened to the squeak of his shoes on the tiles and the heavy footsteps of his bodyguard. The more she thought, the more confused she became. She said, “I thought you’d be angry at him. Why’d you ask for _that_?”

            Rahlin had collapsed so she lay flat on her back. Her arms were crossed over the Toon plush, which she held tight against her chest. She muttered, “I just don’t want there to be any more suffering.”

            Rahlin closed her eye. She didn’t want to know how Mai reacted or if she did. She didn’t want to know anything. She counted her breaths until she fell asleep.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Something prodded Rahlin’s arm. She groaned and turned her face away from it. Mai sighed and poked her again. “You have to get up. You have physical therapy. They’re going to teach you how to walk.”

            How to walk. An ache developed deep in Rahlin’s chest. She’d known how to walk since she was a child. Now it was something she had to study? Rahlin grimaced and rolled onto her side to face away from Mai, who huffed. “I’m sorry, but this is something you have to do. I’m going to the bathroom. By the time I get back, you be ready to leave, okay? Your clothes are on the seat over here, and I’ll knock before I come in.”

            The door whined open and closed. The click of Mai’s heels echoed further and further away until it faded with the rolling carts and hurrying nurses. Rahlin sat up. Sure enough, her black-and-white suit was folded on the chair, tie and all. While it wasn’t the most comfortable outfit Rahlin had ever worn, it was better than the itchy hospital gown.

            She lifted her right thigh and swung it over the edge of the bed. Rahlin took a deep breath. She dropped to the icy cold floor. Outside, the rain sloshed harder onto the glass panes. The chair was a few feet from the bed. Rahlin knew walking wouldn’t work. She could, technically, _fall_ to the chair, but…

            Rahlin risked a glance at the silver cane. It was propped against the side of the bed. She reached out and wrapped her fingers around the handle. It was somehow colder than the hospital floor. Colder than ice. Colder than her new reality.

            She stepped with her left foot and kept her balance on the right with the cane. She moved forward. It was at half the pace and twice the effort, but she moved forward without falling.

            Who needed physical therapy, anyway? The thought sank her heart. She envisioned herself falling on her face over and over again, and some stranger reassuring her with gentle phrases that amounted to nothing.

            An exercise in misery was what it sounded like, Rahlin thought as she pulled on her suitcoat over her shirt. She adjusted her tie to what she thought was the center of her collar. With only one eye it always ended off-center, though.

            She reached to pull her pants on over her underwear and froze. A lengthy, jagged scar darkened the pale skin of her right leg. It was downright horrid and for several moments Rahlin had to hold back her own vomit because of the never changing fact that it would never go away.

            Reality was the nightmare, and the nightmare was reality.

            Rahlin swiftly tugged her pants up to her waist. Her breathing quickened until she buried her face in her hands. No, she refused to repeatedly embarrass herself in front of a stranger under the guise of “learning how to walk.” She picked up her cane and stood on her own two, no, _three_ feet.

            She could walk just fine.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Outside the Domino City hospital, the weather was nothing short of nasty. Flashes of lightning touched the sky. Rumbles of thunder followed moments after. Rain poured in buckets from the black clouds.

            Rahlin walked out from under the hospital’s awning with no hesitation. The rain left her hair clinging to her cheeks and the back of her coat. Her bangs drooped and covered her eyes.

            The weather was no matter beyond her immediate problem. She walked one step at a time, but she was so, so slow. Rahlin looked to the end of the block and thought of how she was able to sprint to it in seconds on her first day in Domino City.

            Then there was the cane. It wasn’t so much the cane itself but the necessity of it. The _thunk_ she heard every time it met the drowning pavement was now a permanent part of her life. She would hear it over and over and over again.

            Then there were the people talking. She didn’t hear them at first, but they seemed to grow louder with every nook she passed. Wherever there was a haven from the storm, a stranger’s voice accompanied it.

            “That’s her, isn’t it? The phantom chick who’s been creating the sleepers!”

            _Thunk. Thunk. Thunk_.

            “Nah, it can’t be! Look at her all hunched over with a cane. It’s closer to some old woman!”

            _Thunk_. Laughter spilled from the coffee shop the conversations had come from. _Thunk. Thunk_.

            “Yeah, they say she’s put over fifty people in a coma,” came a voice from a nearby bookstore. “The same one who forfeited against the King of Games.”

 _Thunk. Thunk_.

            “ _Her?_ Yeesh. Her being associated with the sleepers must be a mistake. I mean, look at her.”

 _Thunk_.

            “Yeah. No wonder she forfeited against Yugi.”

 _Thunk_.

            “Someone like her could never be in the same _realm_ as the King of Games.”

 _Thunk. Thunk_.

            “I guess we should stay away just to be safe,” a girl in a distant ramen bar commented, “but it’s not like she could catch us, right?”

            They laughed. Rahlin stopped at the corner of a dark street. There were no open businesses in sight and no cars coming from either direction. Streetlamps flickered. The sign across the road shone its white symbol of a person walking, indicating for her to go. Its light reflected off of her cane.

            Her hands quaked on its handle.

            She didn’t need it.

            She picked it up in her right hand. She stepped forward with her left foot. Rahlin careened to the side and splashed into the rainwater gushing by the sewer. It soaked through her clothes and drenched her skin. She was forced to use the cane to pull herself back to her feet on the sidewalk.

            Rahlin glanced to the other side. The symbol had changed to an orange man with a large ‘X.’ Her fingers tightened on the handle of her cane. Tighter, tighter until the knuckles were whiter than ghosts.

            Rainwater masked the tears running down her right cheek and rumbling thunder drowned out her high-pitched sobs. The storm’s winds rushed past, and the chill rattled her to her bones. Rahlin bit down on her knuckle in an attempt to stop her teeth from chattering. Her sobs tore through despite it and her tears landed on her glove.

            She was startled out of her crying fit. Something was different. The rain. It’d stopped. No, she could still see it hitting the water running down the street, but she couldn’t feel it.

            A black umbrella shielded her from the rain. Her gaze dropped to its owner, who was holding it over her and wearing a cheery smile. She noticed he was holding it so far to cover her that his other arm was left bare to the storm. She swiped her forearm across her face to remove her tears, but her soaked sleeve only made her face wetter. She snapped, “What do you want?”

            “Oh! Well, I couldn’t help but notice you from across the street. This weather is absolutely dreadful, and I can’t imagine it’s any better without at least an umbrella.”

            Rahlin glanced back to the light from the shops she’d passed and the laughter that haunted her still. She said, “Don’t you… know who I am?”

            “Why, yes,” he said. “I do believe you are the girl who fell through my window.”

            Rahlin’s eyebrows rose. She supposed his brown eyes could be seen as familiar, but that day was all a jumbled haze to her. “Oh. Sorry about that.”

            “It’s quite a wonderful coincidence I ran into you,” he said, his uplifting smile never faltering. “A few hours ago, some people showed up at my door and said they were fixing my window and replacing my stinky old carpet on KaibaCorp’s dime. I can’t imagine Kaiba being generous, so Mokuba explained you were the one who requested it. While it’s not the best day to be kicked out of my own home, I appreciate your thoughtfulness nonetheless.”

            “It is not thoughtfulness,” Rahlin grumbled. “I was merely repaying a portion of my debt, as is honorable. After all, if it weren’t for you, I…”

            She frowned at her leg. That day could have ended with Rahlin being much worse than crippled. The boy said, “It was honestly what anyone would have done. I’ve been hoping that you turned out alright. I thought about visiting the hospital, but that would probably be strange since we don’t _really_ know each other.”

            “But you know of me,” Rahlin said. “Seems everyone in this city does.”

            He was _still_ smiling. What was he, delusional? He said, “You saved my potted flowers.”

            “Come again?”

            “My flowers,” he repeated. “To tell the truth, I’d neglected them. I hadn’t even looked on that side of the room for a few weeks. You gave them your water instead of drinking it yourself, and you even gave me advice for them.”

            When he said the word “water” in his strange way, the memory of her last meeting with him became clearer. She looked away from him and said, “W-well, it’s because I’d lost a lot of blood and I wasn’t myself. That’s all.”

            That smile widened with his laugh. He cleared his throat and said, “It’s miserable out here, and you look awfully cold. Why don’t we continue our conversation indoors? I know a nice café down the road. It’s not too far of a walk for you-”

            “Woah, woah, woah,” Rahlin said. “You don’t want to do that.”

            An inquisitive frown took the place of his grin. “Hm?”

            “You don’t want to be seen with me, and for good reason. I’m sure you’ve heard about everything I’ve done.”

            “I see. But…” He looked up to the signal beyond the crosswalk, which had changed back to the white man walking. The emerald traffic lights reflected off the raindrops and the boy’s long, white hair, which was styled in layers. A portion of it was slick by rainwater because he was holding his umbrella over her. He said, “I believe in what I see more than what I hear. I have learned that, in times of crises, people become their truest selves. If you could stand to put up with me for a little bit longer, I’d enjoy spending some time with the girl who saved my flowers, gifted me a new carpet, and comforted me when she was the one in pain.”

             To her shocked expression and mild blush, he offered his gentle smile. She sorely wished he had forgotten the part with the comforting. He said, “Oh! Where are my manners? I haven’t even properly introduced myself! My name is Ryo. Ryo Bakura.”

            Ryo extended his hand towards her. Rahlin tossed her nose in the opposite direction. “Okay, _Ryo_ , first of all, it wasn’t _comforting_ , okay, and second of all, if I go with you, it’s only to fulfill the debt that I owe you. You could ask anything of me, but you only get one.”

            His hand returned to his side but his smile remained. “So you’ll join me for some tea?”

            “It’s an absolutely ridiculous request,” Rahlin scoffed. “Really, of all the things you could- wait. Did you say tea?”

            “Come on, then. It’s this way.” Ryo nodded towards the signal with the white walking man. “I’ll stay right beside you, if you’re comfortable with that.”

            Rahlin thinned her eye. It was not humanly possible to be as nice as Ryo was being. He must’ve been faking it to get something out of her. Regardless, she could not decline him so long as she was indebted to him. Her best option was to play along for the time being. “Uh, sure.”

            She stepped onto the crosswalk, and he remained by her side.

            _Thunk_.

            Air hissed between her teeth with her swift intake of breath. The trembling returned to her limbs. She kept her hand on the cane, the goddamned cane, and she wanted to throw it across the road and walk away but she knew she wouldn’t. She couldn’t.

            “Is… everything alright?”

            Those brown eyes peered down at her with concern. She cleared her throat and stood as straight as possible. “Yes.”

            “Ah, okay. Sorry. I wanted to make sure. You take as long as is necessary. There is no rush whatsoever.”

            His smile showed his patience. Though he had a wealth of it, Rahlin didn’t want him to have to spare any for her expense. She walked on at a steady pace. The _thunk_ s became less and less grating as she moved forward.

            “Here we are.” Ryo ducked beneath the café’s awning and folded his umbrella closed. He held the door open and waited for Rahlin to hobble through. A couple and a group of three occupied two of the six total tables in the establishment. Their expressions were a blend of distaste and fear. Rahlin glanced to Ryo, whose smile had fallen for his apprehension.

            “How do you feel about the table furthest in the back?” she asked. “Like, wayyy back.”

            “Hm? Oh. Yes. Sure.” His voice was little more than a whisper. He grasped his elbow and stared at the floor more than anything else. Which was a shame, she thought, because the fluffy pastries in the glass display bar to their right looked delicious beyond her descriptive capabilities.

            Rahlin figured it was her turn to lead the way. She walked to the far end of the café and observed the chair tucked beneath the table. Sitting, she knew, was a whole ordeal on its own.

            “Oh! Did you want this one?” Ryo pulled out the chair for her. “If you’d like for me to hold any of your things or help in any way, I’m here to lend a hand.”

            She wanted to assure him she was fine on her own, but it was a lie. He was so damned nice that she couldn’t tell a fib to him. Rahlin cleared her throat. “Actually, if you- Could you hold it right there? The chair, I mean.”

            Ryo kept his hands on the back of the low, wooden seat. Rahlin angled herself in front of it. She checked her position once, twice before lowering herself slowly until falling the rest of the way. Embarrassment heated her face; she swore she heard giggles across the room. Rahlin muttered, “S-sorry. It’s the only way I know how.”

            “You shouldn’t be ashamed of living your life,” he said while pushing her chair in. “Is that alright?”

            “Just fine. Um. Thanks. For saying that.”

            A smile graced his lips. He removed his long, black raincoat. “Would you like to borrow this? It’s warm on the inside, and you seem to still be shivering.”

            “What? No!” she exclaimed. “I, I mean, I have a coat of my own, as you can see.”

            “It… appears to be soaked through.”

            Rahlin sat with her back straight. She grit her teeth to prevent them from chattering. “That’s not an issue.”

            He admitted defeat by draping the coat over the back of his own chair. “What tea would you like?”

            “Chamomile,” she answered immediately, “but only if it has no lavender.”

            Ryo glanced to the dark sky beyond the window. “I suppose I’ll join you. I usually order black, but it’s a touch late for caffeine.”

            He walked towards the register. Rahlin laid her arm across the table and rested her head against it. Ryo sat down and said, “It’ll be just a few moments.”

            “Why are you whispering?” she asked. “I can barely understand you since we came in here.”

            He laced his fingers together, glanced around the café, and leaned closer to Rahlin. “Sorry. I’m not good around a lot of people, and it’s extra busy today.”

            “There’s, like, six other people.”

            His stare dropped to his clasped hands. A server slid two steaming cups on saucers onto the table. She started into an explanation about sweeteners. She noticed Rahlin, cut off mid-sentence, and backed away until she was behind the counter.

            Rahlin puffed a sigh. “Case and point. This was a bad idea for you. You don’t want to be seen with me.”

            That sweet smile spread across his lips, and his eyes upturned. “It’s perfectly fine. Excellent choice. The chamomile smells delicious.”

            She picked up her head and said, “Are you, like, not human?”

            “Come again?”

            “You are too kind and too patient – leagues beyond any person I have met.”

            “I take it as a compliment,” he said. “Though, to be completely honest…”

            Rahlin braced herself for the ulterior motive behind his seeking her out. He scratched at the back of his head, still smiling, and said, “I sort of owe you, too.”

            Her eye widened. “For trashing your apartment?”

            “No, no. It’s… difficult to explain.” Ryo gazed into his tea and took a deep breath. In a soft voice, he said, “Before your accident, I hadn’t left my apartment in weeks.”

            “Weeks? What about food?”

            “I can call delivery,” he said, “and they leave it by the door.”

            Rahlin’s head tilted. “Are you afraid of people?”

            His eyes tilted down and shone. Rahlin felt as though she had just committed a heinous crime. Ryo said, “Sort of. It’s just so complicated to try to explain, and I’ll likely sound like an insane person…”

            A sip of tea later, she said, “Well, I have great news. I heard that we are in no rush whatsoever, and you can take as long as necessary.”

            His anxiety streamed out with the spreading of his smile. “Where do I start? Oh. You see, there is a very valuable artifact in my family that was passed into my hands. It was a sort of necklace that I used to wear constantly, but…”

            Rahlin peered at him over the brim of the teacup. “Buuut?”

            “But the artifact came with a, um, ‘spirit,’ of sorts.”

            “Spirit?” she mumbled. “You mean like the ghosty guy that follows Yugi around and- _becomes_ him?”

            A gasp escaped him. “You know about- yes, it’s exactly like that! Except I don’t have a relationship with my spirit like he does. My spirit…”

            Ryo threaded his fingers tighter but his hands still trembled. In a quiet, quiet voice, he said, “My spirit controls me by force, and he uses me to do terrible things.”

            Raindrops left trails down the glass panes. People conversed and cups clinked in the distance. Rahlin was frozen in time, and her shoulders shuddered. She grasped her tie and focused on its soaked fabric to bring her attention back to her talk with Ryo. She breathed, “Shit. Shit, I’m so sorry. It must be miserable to- to be trapped inside yourself and be looking over your shoulder every moment you aren’t.”

            He gave a small nod. “That’s why I locked myself away. I told my friends I was going on vacation and was sure they wouldn’t miss me. You sort of crashed my plans, though. Now I’m out here, and I don’t feel afraid like I did in there. Oh, and… I didn’t think I would meet someone so similar to myself.”

            Rahlin pointed to herself with a shocked expression. Ryo nodded with more enthusiasm than before. Rahlin said, “Woah, woah, okay, you and I are quite literally _worlds_ apart.”

            “I can’t stop thinking about how before you passed out, you kept apologizing over and over as though you had done something wrong.”

            “Worlds, I said. Worlds! And the _last_ thing you’d want is to see yourself in me, of all people.”

            “But it wasn’t anything you had control over. It wasn’t as though you had choice in the matter, yet you kept saying sorry for inconveniencing me. That moment sort of put it all in perspective for me, Rahlin, because it’s absurd for you to take the blame upon yourself. That’s when I realized I shouldn’t punish myself for the spirit’s wrongdoings. I wasn’t in control of myself, but I was fully aware of what I was doing – how I made them so afraid and reveled in that fear. Now, though, I know it wasn’t me. It wasn’t. I have you to thank for helping me understand that. I’m sorry for dragging you here and giving speeches, but I had to thank you, Rahlin.”

            Ryo had a small smile. His chin was lifted and his eyes sparkled as though he could see the golden gates to heaven. Rahlin’s head was lowered, and she stared at the cane upon her lap with a pained expression. Her fall was a disaster. It had ruined her life and changed her for the worse forever.

            But it had saved someone else. To look him in the eye and say she’d wished she never fell through his window was unfathomable. After all, it was on his fault that she wasn’t crying anymore. In the warm café with a steaming cup in her hands, she felt…

            Alright.

            “Hey, Ryo?”

            “Hm?”

            “You, um… You seem like an okay person. And. I’m. I’m glad I was able to help you.”

            That graceful smile appeared again. “Why, thank you. You’re easy to talk to, Rahlin. I suppose it helps that you keep people away.”

            Rahlin choked on her tea. “That’s a _positive_ to you?”

            He kept grinning. “Though, I do have to say: I don’t think you’re a bad person.”

            “You realize all the things people are saying about me are true, right?”

            “Perhaps,” Ryo said, “but I know more than anything else that there is more to a person than meets the eye.”

            Rahlin snorted. She held her hand in front of her mouth as she snickered. “I get it. Because of…”

            She gestured towards her one eye. Shock overtook Ryo’s expression, and he waved his hands in front of him. “No, no! I would never make a joke so dreadfully dark!”

            Rahlin smacked her hand on the table repeatedly and laughed harder. “The _look_ on your face!”

            Ryo sighed, dropped his face into his hand, and laughed a little with her. Something behind the counter caught his eye. He said, “She’s trying to close up shop. Would you like for me to walk you home?”

            Rahlin caught herself before she defaulted to “no.” She had left the hospital with the intention of avoiding physical therapy. The way from the café to Mai’s apartment complex was a mystery to her. Rahlin rung her hands about her cane as she thought of how to approach the subject without inciting Ryo’s panic. “Do you happen to know the way to the museum from here?”

            “The museum? Sure. Would you like for me to take you there?”

            “Please,” Rahlin said. Ryo pulled out her chair for her and offered his hand. She wanted to decline him, to convince him and herself that she could do it by herself, but a similar outstretched hand tickled the back of Rahlin’s mind.

            Mai had said, _“You can’t do it alone, Rahlin.”_

            Shattering Rahlin’s scarce pride wasn’t Mai’s intention. A genuine desire to help urged Mai to speak. At the realization, Rahlin bit her lip and placed her hand in his. He helped her to her feet, and she hated how much she was shaking and how he must have felt it, too, but he kept smiling like there wasn’t a problem in the world. She quickly grabbed the cane and leaned on it instead of him.

            “Thanks,” she murmured.

            “You’re very welcome.” He held the door open for her again and opened his umbrella over her. “It’s a little ways down the street and to the right. Shall we?”

            Ryo walked with her, matching her slow pace without complaint. The melody of the raindrops on the umbrella was more savory to her sanity compared to the discordant cane _thunk_ s. They stopped at a crosswalk, and she spotted the museum’s pale columns beyond it. A car glided over the wet pavement, casting a gust of wind towards the pair. The ruby-red taillights faded into the night.

            They crossed the road together. The pair stood where streetlights on either side of the museum pathway intersected. Ryo looked to the cloudy sky. “I suppose this is where we part ways. Let’s be sure to do this again. Oh! I could give you my phone number.”

            He reached for his pocket. Rahlin said, “Wait. I actually don’t have one of those.”

            His silver eyebrows shot up. “A phone? Really? How can we see each other again? It’s a big city, and I only ran into you purely by chance.”

            Rahlin was taken aback by his true interest in wasting time on her. She said, “I, um, the tournament?”

            “Hm?”

            “The tournament. The one DOMA- I mean, the one KaibaCorp is putting on. I’ll be in it. I won’t exactly be surrounded by fans or anything, so you could find me there.”

            “Wonderful!” he said.

            “You use that word an awful lot.”

            “Oh. Sorry.”

            “It’s not a problem.”

            He wore that cheery smile of his and said, “Wonderful.”

            “Okay, now it is a problem,” she said, and he laughed. Rahlin folded her hands over her cane handle. “Anyway, I’ll head home from here. Good-by, Ryo Bakura.”

            Rahlin took a step away from him. He exclaimed, “U-um!”

            The rain still wasn’t hitting her. She glanced back. He was leaning towards her and holding out his arm to continue shielding her with his umbrella. His other hand clenched at his pantleg. Rahlin wondered what had him so nervous. “Yeees?”

            Ryo stepped closer. A nod towards the handle coerced her into grasping it with her free hand. Ryo backed away a step. She asked, “What’s this for?”

            His hands were clenched at his sides, and his mouth trembled. “I-I just wanted to say…”

            Rahlin brushed her wet bangs away from her eye. Ryo was exposed to the storm and the light, which caught in his brown irises. Rahlin cocked her head. He had been silent far too long. “Is something the matter?”

            He shut his eyes and blurted, “I- I just… I think- I wanted to- Um, all I want to say is – and forgive me if this is intrusive – I very much hope you won’t go crying again, and I think your smile is far lovelier!”

            Ryo turned and walked away at a brisk pace. Rahlin blinked. She wasn’t sure whether to move or not or if she even could. She was watching him leave and noting how there wasn’t any color in the world except for in the streetlights he passed under.

            In the series of lights, she spotted the faintest glimmer of every color of the rainbow.

            Rahlin then realized Ryo had left the umbrella in her hand. She leaned it back against her shoulder and tilted up her chin to watch the rain fall. The corners of her lips jolted once, twice.

            Rahlin smiled.

            She wiped her hand across her mouth, leaving it in a neutral expression. What was she thinking? The day was a disaster. A part of her was dead weight. Permanently. She was forced to rely on something as humiliating as a cane, like she was an old crone.

            There couldn’t be a silver lining. She would have to be insane to feel that way.

            Rahlin turned towards the direction of Mai’s apartment. Ryo’s umbrella tapped against her shoulder. The handle was warm from when he’d held it, and the warmth spread to her.

            And the smile came back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si81bIoZRJQ
> 
> Every last line of this chapter was difficult. I appreciate anyone who's read this far ♥


	7. The King and the Monster

            Joey fell to his knees and gathered his sister in his arms. He called her name again, again, and again. The ships in the harbor blasted their horns like death knells. “Answer me, Serenity!”

            Yugi cradled Joey’s duel disk. Serenity had been wearing it, and the display indicated a loss. For her to lose and end up like this – breathing but unmoving as though she was comatose – there could only be one person at fault.

            The pharaoh’s apparition watched a pair of seagulls soar into the clouds. “I’m sure the officials will wipe his loss since Joey wasn’t the one dueling. He’ll be able to stay in the tournament.”

            “I don’t think that’s what we should be concerned about,” Yugi muttered. “We were too late to stop that girl again. Serenity… poor Joey…”

            “Isn’t there something strange about this, Yugi? Why would Serenity steal Joey’s duel disk? She has her own. What advantage would there be to having her brother’s instead?”

            “Um, I guess…” Yugi observed the display, which was darkened by the sunlight. “Joey has the higher power ranking.”

            “Which would only be useful if one were trying to challenge someone else,” the pharaoh said. “Someone who stole the soul of the man she loved.”

            Yugi’s expression shifted from concern to understanding. He glanced to his mournful best friend. Yugi whispered to the spirit: “I don’t think now is the best time for this.”

            “It’s important we understand what happened here.”

            “We can wait until the tournament begins in a couple weeks,” Yugi said. “We’ll see that girl for sure once it starts. For now, we need to…”

            Yugi stood beside his friend and placed his hand on his back. Joey looked up to him, and his expression was more determination than sadness.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Mai paced back and forth. Rahlin leaned on her cane in front of the closed apartment door and flipped her umbrella. Rainwater dripped from her soaked clothes. Mai wore a silk gown, and her hair was dry. She said, “Do you have any idea how worried I was? All of us? We drove around the entire city looking for you!”

            “My apologies,” Rahlin said.

            “That doesn’t cut it,” Mai growled. “You can’t just run away from things you don’t want to do. That’s not how life works!”

            “Of course.” Rahlin gestured towards her cane and said, “I mean, running literally isn’t something I’m capable of.”

            Mai froze. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-”

            Rahlin broke into a laugh and pointed at Mai’s face. “You were freaking out!”

            “Shut up, smartass,” Mai snapped. Rahlin couldn’t stop laughing. “You seem to be in higher spirits.”

            Heat flushed Rahlin’s face, and her mouth snapped shut. She stared at the floor and handed the umbrella to Mai. “Uh, if you could close it, that’d be great. I don’t have the appropriate amount of hands available.”

            Mai pulled the umbrella shut and leaned it against the wall beside the door. She said, “Go pick out some of my pajamas, Rahlin. Must be cold with how wet you are.”

            Rahlin mumbled her thanks and went into Mai’s room. Through the cracked door, she witnessed Mai pressing the back of her hand to her forehead, groaning, and dropping herself back onto the couch. The wine in her glass on the table shivered when she hit the cushions.

            Rahlin re-entered the living area wearing a matching shirt and pants that were saggy on her. She held her white hair in a bundle over her head wrapped in a towel. Locks tumbled out of her grasp, and she shot them an annoyed pout. She’d use her other hand to wrangle them if it weren’t occupied with her cane. Mai said, “I can help you if-”

            “I’m okay.” Rahlin fell into the chair. Her cane hit the floor. She rubbed her head and dropped the wet towel on the floor. A suppressed giggle caught her attention. “What’re you laughing at?”

            Mai’s hand covered her smile. “Your hair. It’s sticking up. A lot.”

            Rahlin’s hands slapped over her head. She smoothed her locks down and dropped her hands in her lap. Mai cleared her throat and stood up. “Can I get you anything, Rahlin? Water? Juice? Tea? Are you hungry? Do you-”

            “Stop.” The harshness and authority in Rahlin’s tone startled Mai. “You do not perform favors for me and you do not call me ‘Rahlin.’ To treat me any differently than you would have before my accident would be dishonorable on my behalf and yours. I would say we are acquaintances, not some caring mother and her helpless child. Keep it as the former.”

            “Yeesh, kid,” Mai muttered, “you get a stick up your ass, too?”

            The intensity in Rahlin’s expression softened with her laugh. “Some issues have to be taken seriously, okay?”

            “Oh, I get it. I was just surprised you broke out the fancy language and everything.”

            “As long as the point got across, I accomplished what I needed to.” Rahlin knitted her fingers together and counted her breaths until calm settled over her. “So, uh, what’s going on?”

            “Tournament starts tomorrow,” Mai said. She pointed to the muted television. It flickered through the bracket matchups. Rahlin leaned forward, her blue eye reflecting the bright light from the screen.

            “Who is Espa Roba?”

            “Some no-name who almost struck gold in Battle City before the officials found out he was cheating.” Mai took a sip of wine. “I’m up against an oldie. Goes by the name of PaniK. He beat me once upon a time. There won’t be a repeat.”

            “Ah.” Elegant the cat sashayed into the living area and leapt onto the girl’s lap. Rahlin scratched Elegant’s cheek and said, “Who is Joey against?”

            “Doesn’t matter.”

            “Oh. I just thought maybe you’d be interested, since if he loses you won’t get your rematch-”

            “The rematch _will happen_ ,” she said, “and with no interference from you.”

            Rahlin’s eye didn’t move from Elegant. Her fingers stroked the cat’s fur. “Yes, of course.”

            “It’s funny,” Mai said, her head lolling back against the couch. “I used to think he had this calm aura – like whenever he was around it felt like everything would turn out fine. Since it happened, though, he’s been the opposite.”

            Rahlin understood asking what “it” was would be equivalent to running into a brick wall. Instead she said, “That’s interesting about the aura. It’s rare a person has one. They show strong personalities.”

            Mai’s face twisted in disgust. “That’s one way to put it. I’m going to bed. I’ll be out early tomorrow since my match is in the morning. If I don’t see you, I wish good luck to you.”

            “Same to you,” Rahlin whispered. “And, um, thank you. For everything you’ve done. I probably come off ungrateful with running away and being all serious earlier, but I am very thankful to have you around.”

            “As an acquaintance,” Mai said with a wink. Rahlin shared a small smile with her. “Look. It’s tough to have your life changed suddenly. When you find out you can’t do what you always swore you could, it’s devastating. Don’t worry, though, kid. We’ll make it.”

            The door slammed behind Mai. Rahlin’s hand paused and hovered over the cat in her lap.

            We, Mai had said.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Thigh-high wisps of grain waved in the soft breeze. Their sway caressed the cheek of the boy lying unconscious in their fields. His eyelids twitched. A groan passed his lips, and his hand covered his eyes. He muttered, “Five more minutes, dad.”

            The wind’s direction shifted, and the wheat on the opposite side touched his skin. He grumbled, “C’mon, seriously? It’s summer-”

            His eyes opened and scanned the landscape. Sunshine blinded him. “Eh? This ain’t my house. What happened to the roof?”

            A sudden weight landed on his chest. He grunted and yelled to get off him. An animal’s high-pitched whine replaced the voice he expected to respond. Once the weight was off, he sat up. A small, yellow dragon blinked up at him. “Hey-ey! If it isn’t Baby Dragon! You remember your old pal Joey, don’tcha?”

            The dragon loosed a chipper squeal and leapt into Joey’s arms. He smiled and patted his monster’s head. “What’s going on, huh? Where am I this time? The Shadow Realm? Comatose? Trapped in virtual reality? Damn, I’ve been through the ringer.”

            A questioning growl left Baby Dragon’s throat. It pointed upwards with its clawed finger. Joey looked to the azure sky. A black shadow passed over the sun. He shot to hit feet and shouted, “Red-Eyes Black Dragon!”

            A miniature roar trumpeted from Baby Dragon as if it were cheering on Joey’s chase. He tore through the wheat fields, which whipped back at him as he raced onward. The grain crinkling beneath his footsteps was almost drowned out by the flapping of dark wings above him.

            Joey slammed into something, and his back crashed against rocky ground. He shaded his eyes to look at the figure who had blocked his pursuit. Joey hopped to his feet and said, “Hey! What gives? I was in the middle of somethin’ and you totally stonewalled me!”

            The person standing before him gave his complaint no recognition – at least, not that Joey could see beyond the black visor on their helmet. Their dull gold, medieval-style armor didn’t give off the friendliest impression, either. Joey glanced up; Red-Eyes Black Dragon was circling the pair standing in the middle of the path breaking the wheat fields. “What’s he doin’?”

            The rude person marched down the path. Their black cape flowed behind their steps. Joey hollered, “Hey! You’re just walkin’ away like that?”

            A whine caught his attention. Baby Dragon flapped to Joey’s side, and its eyes tilted down. “What’s wrong with _you_?”

            His monster pointed towards the knight walking the path. Joey said, “That guy? Nuh-uh. No way. He’s a total jerk. I’ll follow him when I’m dead!”

            A force impacted with the ground behind Joey. He yelped and jumped. A pair of crimson eyes bore into him. His favorite dragon lifted its ebony, clawed hand and pointed towards the knight. Joey gulped. “A-alright, alright, fine. Geez.”

            He stuffed his hands in his pockets and followed the knight at an appropriate distance of several yards. The path ended at a raised pavilion. Joey hadn’t noticed it because its blue blended in with the sky. The knight started up the steps without looking back. Joey wanted to complain about how many stairs there were but knew it would fall on deaf ears.

            At the pavilion’s apex, a bone-white altar rested dead ahead. To Joey’s right and left, dragon statues glowered at him. He glanced back to Baby Dragon in hopes of the monster’s cheerier look lightening the mood, but both monsters had waited at the bottom of the staircase. He and the knight were alone. Joey scratched the back of his neck as he approached the rude person, who was standing next to the left dragon.

            The knight waved its hand toward a sword sliced into the statue’s paw. It stepped forward, wrapped its hands around the large blade’s golden hilt, and pulled. Its hands slipped off, and the sword didn’t give. Joey grinned, slapped his bicep, and said, “Guess you need someone strong to take care of this one!”

            Silence settled. The knight didn’t move an inch. Joey sighed, and his head hung low. “Crickets, huh? Dunno what else I expected. Let’s get this over with!”

            He grabbed the sword and yanked it away from the statue. It slipped out at Joey’s first pull. He couldn’t hold the giant blade’s full weight, so it clattered against the pavilion’s navy tiles.

            The knight dropped to a knee and picked up the sword. Joey said, “Eh? You can pick up that humongous thing but you couldn’t pull it out?”

            Something fell on his head. Joey ran a hand through his hair and grabbed the offending object: a piece of ice. He looked up to see the bright blue breaking off the statue. Stark red lay beneath the ice. A true-to-life dragon crouched and wiggled its hindquarters in the air. Its tail whipped back and forth to show its playfulness.

            A hand fell on Joey’s shoulder. He stared at the knight; something sparkled at its chin. A tear fell to the pavilion floor. The knight nodded at him, and the world faded.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Birds sang in the trees of the park Rafael passed. Noonday sunshine cast the hundreds of leaves’ shadows upon the pavement. He slipped his sunglasses on his face and waited.

            His companion approached with uneven, slow steps. “C-can we stop for a minute?”

            He stared at Rahlin. Her breaths were heavy, and the arm holding her cane shook. Rafael jerked his chin towards a nearby bench. Rahlin hobbled to it and collapsed on the seat. She cradled her aching elbow and said, “Sorry. I’m not used to walking so far.”

            “The stadium is still a couple of blocks away.”

            Rahlin gulped. “I won’t make you late, will I?”

            He flashed his watch. “No. Our matches are at the same time. We have half an hour.”

            “Okay. Could I sit here for a few minutes?”

            Rafael crossed his arms and leaned his shoulder against the tree beside the bench. The trunk separated him from Rahlin. He said, “If you’re not human, why would you allow an accident to happen?”

            “Allow?” She frowned. “I didn’t ‘allow’ anything. I have all the limitations my human body gives me. I- I guess I can’t blame you. With the way we met, you must have the idea I’m some sort of demon.”

            Rafael said, “Aren’t you?”

            “No. I am a person with convictions, fears, and dreams as you have. We have more in common than we do in disagreement. That’s why we’re in the same organization. You know what happen when enough souls are gathered, don’t you?”

            He picked something off his jacket and flicked it to the pavement. “Yes.”

            “Knowing the implications, why are you a Soul Reaper?”

            “Because I know the world is better off without humans.”

            Rahlin nodded. “I feel the same way. I would rather us be able to treat each other like the allies we are instead of staying apart. For example, I want to remove humanity because-”

            “Don’t care.” Rafael pushed back his sleeve to see his watch’s face. “We need to go.”

            Rahlin sighed. At least she had given it her best shot. She gazed down the street. The stadium was bustling with crowds cheering at the jumbo screen outside. She gripped her cane. Two blocks. She could make it.

            Her arm and shoulder burned with every step, but make it she did. Rahlin and Rafael showed their Chaos duel disks at a special side entrance, and security let them pass. Several duelists wandered about the waiting room. Rahlin wasn’t surprised by the turnout considering it was the early rounds of a massive tournament. She turned to Rafael to ask him who he was against, but he was gone.

            Rahlin puffed a sigh and picked a chair to camp in. A television set attached to the ceiling caught her eye. In the raised arena platform, Mai was walking away from the fallen form of a large man. Remnants of the Seal’s neon green sparkles lingered around the still body. Despite Mai’s victory, her expression was neutral. Rahlin hoped she’d get a chance to congratulate her.

            “Next up!” the announcer called. “Espa Roba versus Rahlin Orichalcum!”

            Rahlin nibbled her knuckle. She silently thanked Rafael for getting her here just in time. She pushed on her cane to rise to her feet and followed the ref into the arena’s entrance hall. Choruses of voices filtered into the small area from the vast crowd. The ref told her to wait until she was announced to leave.

            “And on this side,” the MC boomed, “Rahlin Orichalcum!”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Mai slid onto the waiting room’s couch beside Rafael and crossed her legs at the knee. She curled her blonde hair behind her ear and stared at the other duelists. Most shied away from her and others gave fearful glances. The Seal of Orichalcos truly was power, she thought. Mai said, “Think the kid will manage?”

            “She’s struggling to stand.” Mai zeroed in on the shaking arm holding Rahlin’s cane. Her duel disk was on the same arm. Her opponent’s psychic monster shred one of Rahlin’s zombies, and he laughed in her face. Rahlin winced. Rafael said, “Not the best poker face.”

            “Kid’s an open book ninety percent of the time,” Mai said. “She’s a damn fine duelist, though. She’s on a fifty-one win streak for Dartz.”

            “Think she can keep it up?”

            “She better,” Mai said, “or she’s in big trouble.”

            The Seal of Orichalcos flared to life on the field. Its verdant light shifted Rahlin’s iris to turquoise. Rafael said, “You’ve been living with her for a while now. Find out anything about her?”

            “Other than that she snores?”

            “No. Supernatural things, like what’s beneath that eyepatch of hers.”

            “There’s nothing supernatural about her. She’s a regular old kid, like I said. Her reaction to the accident, too, was completely normal and… human. Besides, doing something like that would be an invasion of privacy.”

            Rafael cut her a glare. “You really think she’s normal?”

            “Through and through.”

            Rafael crossed his arms and said, “She has no pupil.”

            “What?”

            He nodded towards the screen. A decaying black dragon with red eyes spewed sapphire flames onto the field from Rahlin’s side. Espa Roba had Armored Axon Kicker on his field, but Rahlin’s Zombie Dragon outmatched it. The camera changed to the kid’s pale face, and Mai squinted.

            Rahlin’s eye was a lake of blue with no black.

            “What’s your call on what she is?” Mai asked.

            “No idea,” Rafael said. “I tried to get it out of her, but she said she’s a person. I dislike liars and fakers most of all. Whatever she is, she’s doing her best to hide it.”

            Rahlin commanded her attack. Fire singed Espa Roba, and his clothes came away pocked as though Rahlin’s monster was real. His life points dropped to zero. The Seal captured his everlasting soul. His empty body crumpled.

            The crowd jeered and booed the kid. Her eye closed, and her head lowered. Her thick, white bangs cast shadows onto her face. Mai thought of her on the hospital floor. The kid had tried to stand again, again, and again. Mai said, “She’s complicated, but so are we all – especially DOMA members like us. A colored contact doesn’t make her inhuman.”

            “You don’t seriously think it’s a contact.”

            Mai held his glare with a steady smirk. The MC called his name, and he stood from the couch. Mai noticed him pass by Rahlin on her way back. Rafael acted as though she didn’t exist. Rahlin kept eye contact with her feet on her way to the exit. Mai figured she would play a fun prank and spook the kid outside the stadium. She opened the exit door a couple of inches and peeked out.

            The last thing she expected to see was the kid blushing. Rahlin stammered, “W-what are _you_ doing here?”

            A boy’s voice replied, “You said you’d be participating, so I hoped I would run into you if I waited here. You performed wonderfully in your duel, I thought. Zombies deserve the love you give them. It’d be wonderful to pick your brain about strategies. They’re my favorite archetype!”

            The kid’s hands gripped her cane’s handle. The rose coloring dusting her cheeks remained, and a smile graced her face. “Ah, I get it. Pick my brain. Because, you know, zombies.”

            “That is _not_ what I mean!” the boy countered, but Rahlin was already laughing. Mai thought it strange to see her in such a light mood. The person the kid was speaking with entered Mai’s view. It was none other than Ryo Bakura, the Battle City finalist. That explained his accent at least. How did he and Rahlin know each other? He gave her a sweet smile and said, “How about it? We could have a tabletop match, nothing fancy – if you’re not sick of the game after your match, that is. There’s a wonderful spot down the street-”

            “Rahlin!” Dartz stormed onto the scene and spoke in a harsh whisper. “I need to speak to you. In private.”

            Rahlin said, “You go on ahead, and I’ll find you.”

            Bakura left with obvious hesitation. Dartz hissed, “Timaeus and Hermos have been freed. You said you had a hold on them, yet the pharaoh and Joey Wheeler used the dragons today.”

            Rahlin’s brows pushed inward. She fished some cards out of her pocket. “They- they’re missing. Timaeus and Hermos’s cards are missing. They never left my pocket, I swear! Unless something happened while I was in the hospital, but…”

            “If you didn’t release them,” Dartz said, “something else must be at work here. It could be a force from the other world intervening.”

            Mai’s eyes widened. What other world was he talking about? The kid wasn’t surprised in the least; she said, “Are you sure? I didn’t think there was anyone with attachments to those three.”

            “Their legends are beloved,” Dartz said. “Hold onto those cards as best you can, Rahlin, though I fear control has fallen away from you. I can’t blame you. Their wills tend to be uncontainable.”

            Her head tilted as she observed the cards’ artwork. “Yes, they are quite the threat.”

            “We are a greater one.”

            Rahlin smiled. “You have a way with words, patron. Any word on the aftermath of the Orichalcos’s public reveal?”

            “There have been calls to end the tournament with the knowledge of the ‘sleepers,’ as they refer to the lost souls,” Dartz said. “I’m happy to explain as many times as I need to that KaibaCorp will not be terrorized out of hosting.”

            “Do you think anyone will drop out?”

            Dartz laughed. “Humans are creatures of desperation.”

            Rahlin nodded. “I’ll believe in your confidence that the two Legendary Dragons are a nonissue. In the meantime, I have somewhere I need to be.”

            His hand squeezed her shoulder. “Thank you for your work, Rahlin. We’ll see this through to the end – together. It will be similar to the path fate paved us last time, but in this era, we will find our happy ending.”

            “That we will,” the kid agreed. She exchanged good-byes with him and started away from the stadium. Mai stole a few moments to think through the conversation she had witnessed, but the more she thought, the less sense it made. They referred to another world and referenced a “last time” the soul reaping had occurred. That didn’t seem right to Mai, but she felt as though asking Rahlin wasn’t a good idea. The kid might not like her snooping.

            The kid who might’ve been from another _era_.

            Mai shook her head. She was right and Rafael was wrong. Rahlin was just some kid – nothing more, nothing less. She swung open the stadium’s side door and stalked the kid. Mai had to walk slowly to account for Rahlin’s pace. The kid met with Bakura at the end of the road, and he had no issue shortening his steps for her. Mai tailed them to a nearby park, where they rested at a white, steel table designed in a lattice pattern.

            Two decks sat upon the surface. Rahlin put her empty duel disk away and said, “You can have the first move.”

            The pair drew their five cards, and Bakura added a sixth to his hand. He placed his cards onto the field without a word. Rahlin watched his movements with no spoken qualms. He flipped his palm over, indicating the passing of his turn. Rahlin slid a monster on the field and tapped his. He placed his monster in the grave. Bakura said, “What happened to the person you defeated today?”

            “Espa Roba lost the duel while the Seal of Orichalcos was active,” Rahlin said. “That means he lost his soul.”

            Rahlin turned her hand. Bakura drew his card. “If you would have lost, would you be comatose like the others?”

            “Yes.”

            Bakura appeared hurt by her answer. The sun drifted lower, and the orange flare from the horizon caught in his shining brown eyes. Mai, sitting in a bench beyond the hedges separating the park from the sidewalk, braced herself for the drama. Bakura said, “You really shouldn’t be putting yourself in that situation.”

            Rahlin laughed a little. “Oh, don’t worry. The people of Domino have nothing to fear. I’m sure I’ll be out of the tournament by the next two rounds. There are great duelists left standing, and I’m not one of them.”

            “I’m more worried for your safety,” he said, “and please stop saying terrible things about yourself.”

            A trap card flipped up, and Bakura cleared his field of monsters. Rahlin pursed her lips. “Don’t waste your worry on me. It’s undeniable that I’m sort of the City’s problem child.”

            “Well, I choose to deny it,” Bakura said, “so if you would stop speaking in lies, I would very much appreciate it.”

            The kid’s eye flicked up from scanning the field. She rested her cheek on her fist and offered a lazy smile. Mai was surprised to see Bakura give the kid a sweet smile in return. “I never thought I’d see you insist anything.”

            “It’s a simple act when it’s on a friend’s behalf.”

            Rahlin’s arm dropped. “Funny. I’m… the same way. Wait, did you just call us friends?”

            Bakura flipped over a card. “The Destiny Board is complete.”

            “I’ll be damned,” Rahlin muttered. “Great game. I couldn’t land a hit past the first turn. That’s an excellent stall and guessing game you have there.”

            Bakura offered his hand, and Rahlin accepted the shake. “Want to go again?”

            “Eh, I’m a bit tuckered out. Too much thinking in this game, if you ask me.”

            Bakura’s eyes upturned with his smile. “When you mention your friends, are you talking about the others who use the Seal of Orichalcos? You all work together, don’t you?”

            “Yeah, but…” Rahlin’s hands wringed her cane. “Working together doesn’t equate to friends.”

            “I understand,” he said in a quiet voice. “What are you all working toward?”

            Rahlin pressed a finger to her lips, and her eye closed. “Secret.”

            Bakura’s response was a low hum. “Would you steal my soul?”

            “No. If I wanted to do that, I would have tricked you and used the Seal in this duel. Of course, that would have resulted in me losing either way.”

            “If you used it,” he said, his expression neutral, “I would not be able to claim victory knowing what would happen to you.”

            “And there’s exactly why I wouldn’t be able to reap your soul!” Rahlin said. “You’re a good person – one of the few. I could not do it to you.”

            “How do you know none of the people you’ve reaped have been good?”

            “I suppose I do not, but it doesn’t change that my automatic assumption will always be that they are evil. The ratio of ‘good’ to ‘bad’ is far too little in humanity.”

            Bakura looked to the sky, where streaks of clouds caught the violet of the waning day. “That is true, but… I must say I’m happy to be in this moment with someone like you, Rahlin.”

            Mai had to keep herself from laughing at the kid’s blush. Rahlin said, “L-let’s talk about something else.”

            “Okay, why don’t you select the subject?”

            Rahlin’s gloved hand twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “Could I tell you a little about myself?”

            “I would adore to hear it.”

            Rahlin failed to cover her small smile with her hand and said, “I come from a faraway country. One of my favorite pastimes is to tell legends from my culture, since it seems nobody around here has heard them.”

            Bakura’s hands clasped together as he leaned forward in his chair. His eyes sparkled, and he nodded with enthusiasm. Rahlin loosened her tie, tugged her ruffled collar away from her neck, and cleared her throat.

            “Once upon a constellation, a king was newly coronated in a prosperous city. A shadow was cast upon the festivities from the funeral of the late king, who had been murdered by a ferocious monster. You see, this new king was from a time when humans and monsters – Duel Monsters, you call them – shared the world.

            “The new king’s grief transformed into rage. He banished monsters from his kingdom and swore to hunt them in the name of his father. Little did he know there existed a special being in his city. It is rare, but there are occurrences when a human and monster merge forms. The monster used its human half like a mask to continue its life in the home it had grown to love.

            “The masked monster went years undetected, but it caught wind of a darker plot brewing beneath the city’s surface. The king prepared a trap, and the monster was forced to reveal its true form. The appalled citizens turned their faces away and shunned the monster.

            “The king was giddy with his new opportunity. He captured the monster and dragged it underground. He explained his ultimate goal was the creation of a machine capable of destroying every monster on the planet in the space of a single breath, but he required one of each species to do so. The king could not have imagined the last kind of monster he needed was hiding right beneath his nose for so many years.

            “The monster would be split from its human half and fed to the world-ending machine: Destruction Of Monsters Amassed. The world would become as we know it today…

            “But.”

            Bakura spread his palms on the tabletop. “But?”

            The kid tapped her finger in front of his. “The monster had a counter trap. It sealed the king and freed a particular one of his trapped monsters – one who had contacted the monster and warned it of the king’s plans. The monster performed a ritual to change the king to be like it: half-monster and half-human. The one who was trapped by the king merged with his body, and the two became a single being. From there, it was a clash of wills to decide who controlled their body.”

            “And? Who won?” Bakura asked, his questions fast and fierce.

            Rahlin leaned back. On the horizon opposite the sun, stars winked into sight. Her eye darkened to navy as she observed the distant sparkles. Her fingers curled into fists. “The monster won.”

            “Then what? Was the machine stopped?”

            “Yes,” Rahlin said. “The false king and the original half-breed worked together to put his plan to an end. Destruction Of Monsters Amassed was shut down. The half-breed returned to its life of peace, but the king was… concerned.

            “Monsters have a special property, you see. They cannot die through natural means like aging. Illnesses and other forms of death can end their lives, but otherwise, they are immortal. The false king knew he had to act. His people would grow suspicious if they aged and died while he did not. Thus, a new plan was formed.”

            Rahlin went quiet. Night blanketed the sky. Starlight shone silver against the pair’s white hair. Bakura said, “What plan?”

            A cane twisted into the pavement. Rahlin said, “I’ll have to continue another time. It’s late, you know.”

            “You’re really leaving it _there_?”

            Rahlin giggled. “I’m afraid you’ll have to dangle from that cliff.”

            “I suppose how I feel is a testament to how skilled a storyteller you are.”

            The kid paused. “Oh. Thank you. I… I really appreciate that.”

            Bakura laughed, earning a questioning hop of the eyebrow from Rahlin. He said, “It’s wonderful. That’s the first time you haven’t rejected one of my compliments.”

            Rahlin ducked her head and rested both hands on her cane. Her smile was meant to only be for herself, but Mai saw it. The kid said, “Walk me home. It’s the least you owe me for beating me.”

            “I believe winning generally means _I_ earn something.”

            “Generally,” she said, and they were grinning, and she was walking with him beside her, and that was that.

            Mai was frozen to her bench. She’d caught on a certain part of Rahlin’s story, and the realization hastened her heartbeat.

            Destruction Of Monsters Amassed.

            DOMA.

            As if it were any more than something out of a storybook. The kid had said as much before she started telling it. Rafael had Mai all shook up. She’d need to sip some wine when she got home, but she’d wait for the kid to get there first.

            Wouldn’t want to break up their cute moment.


	8. Actions Speak

            Raindrops from the previous night’s bout of bad weather dripped from tree leaves. Mild fog drifted through the Domino streets. Gray clouds blanketed the sky, and a blue haze permeated the distance.

            Yugi’s mouth curled down. What a terrible day for a tournament match. A drop of water burst against the tip of his nose. He jumped, placed a hand over his beating heart, and moved away from the tree he stood under.

            “Calm down, Yugi.”

            The pharaoh’s spirit appeared cool and collected with a hand in his pocket. Yugi said, “How can I? Last time, we barely scraped by Weevil’s Seal of Orichalcos. I don’t like the guy, but seeing him lose his soul is terrible. Today, we’re facing another one of them.”

            “Our opponent is a Seal user?”

            Yugi nodded. “He used it in the last round. His name is Rafael.”

            “As long as we keep our wits about us, we have nothing to fear.”

            Yugi wondered how his partner kept up his constant reassurances in the face of adversity. Especially on a gloomy day like today, Yugi would rather crawl back into bed and bury himself under the blankets.

            So long as the Orichalcos threatened those beyond himself, he had to be brave.

            Something bonked against his head. He yelped and clapped his hands over his scalp. He caught the round object. His thumbs unfurled to reveal a small, green apple in his palm. Yugi glanced up. A miracle branch was twisted far and away from the trunk. The stem from the apple it once bore stuck downward like a disapproving thumb.

            His violet eyes tilted down as he observed the apple. Rotten luck to start off a rotten day, he supposed. His focus drifted up to the meandering citizens on the nearby sidewalk.

            A shock of white hair caught his attention. He gasped and sprinted forward. Yugi exclaimed, “Rahlin!”

            When she turned towards him, he saw… not what he was expecting. Her cheeks were bright red, her hand clutched her stomach, and her ducked head caused her bangs to shadow her eye. The corners of her mouth trembled. She exhaled a lengthy trail of breath. “Prince. Smaller prince clone. G’morning.”

            “My name’s Yugi,” he muttered. “W-wait, you can see-”

            She spun on her heel and _crack_ ed the foot of her cane against the pavement. Rahlin wrapped her arm around her waist and bowed. “I understand you likely have many questions and concerns regarding me, but I ask as respectfully as possible: please do not question me at this time. I mean, um, I can’t exactly run away, and I have a hard time ignoring people because, I mean, that’s rude, and I’m just really nervous, and I guess I’d just appreciate being left alone to my misery.”

            Yugi blinked. Rahlin had been shaking during her ramble. He said, “You’re worried? Oh, that’s right. You’re up against Mai today. You two are friends, aren’t you?”

            Rahlin straightened and shouted, “I wouldn’t say so! I mean, saying you’re _friends_ assumes a lot. Er, about her. That’s not just something you can say!”

            She clutched at her midsection. Pain flashed down her expression. Yugi said, “Oh, gosh. Are you hurt?”

            “What? Me? No. I, I just realized I might be late or get lost. She was already gone, and… food isn’t easy to come by.”

            Yugi held out his hand without hesitation. “Would this help?”

            Rahlin stared at the apple. She reached forward, withdrew her hand, and thought better of it to accept the gift. “Um. Thanks.”

            “You’ll be late,” Yugi said. “Better hurry.”

            Her eye was fixated on the apple. The pharaoh leaned close to Yugi and said, “What are you doing? This is our chance!”

            Yugi pointed down the street and said, “The stadium’s that way.”

            His movement snapped Rahlin out of her trance. She held the apple close to her chest, smiled, and said, “Thank you.”

            She went on her merry way. The pharaoh was stunned. “Why would you- Yugi! You threw the chance away! Why?”

            “She seemed like she could really use the help,” Yugi said. “Did you see how nervous she was?”

            “I understand how you feel, but it was likely a form of manipulation. She is our enemy. Do you recall when Marik and the Spirit of the Millennium Ring used the same trick?”

            Yugi thought back to when Bakura showed up injured, and it turned out to be a plot to split Yugi from his friends. He muttered, “I can’t see her doing something like that. She was nervous in the same way during your duel with her. Besides, Marik turned out to be a good guy. Bakura has his light side, too.”

            The pharaoh sighed through his nostrils. “You are far too trusting, Yugi.”

            “Think about it this way,” Yugi said with an unfazed grin. “Now we can focus on today’s match! I’m sure you’ll do amazing!”

            “…You are also an everlasting spring of positivity,” the pharaoh said, “and for that I am grateful.”

            Yugi was relieved to finally receive a smile in return.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Rahlin was certain she would die today. Standing in the center of the stadium with thousands staring her down as her heart galloped hundreds of miles per hour confirmed it. Not because of the observers, no, but by the piercing amethyst eyes belonging to her opponent. Mai Valentine tapped her Chaos duel disk with manicured fingernails. “What’s taking so long?”

            “Y-y-you didn’t tell me my opponent today was _you_! I found out this morning when you were already gone!”

            “I assumed you checked the bracket yourself like a functional adult.”

            “Your first mistake,” Rahlin murmured. She looked to the bleak sky. The angry shouts from the crowd said they had to choose from the lesser of two evils, and Rahlin was the worst. She wanted to believe Mai was more than an ally – an acquaintance, perhaps; “friend” was a word Rahlin feared. She wasn’t sure how Mai felt about her. This could very well be Rahlin’s last duel.

            Dartz had warned her to form bonds with the DOMA members. Was this why? Or was he poking fun at her from the beginning, and she was a sacrificial lamb all along?

            She wanted to run away. The trembling fingers holding her cane grounded her. Running was not an option. She contemplated how the cane, initially a brewer of hatred, had become the proponent towards facing her fears.

            Rahlin activated her disk and said, “You may have the first move.”

            Swift, precise movements carried Mai’s starting cards to her hand. Her eyes passed over them in less than a second before sliding a monster onto her disk. “I summon Harpie Queen in attack position, set two cards face-down, and end my turn.”

            Rahlin exhaled her bated breath. Mai’s first turn was so, so _normal_. Rahlin recalled Mai’s abilities from when she crushed Joey Wheeler. Her leg began to shake again. Could this be some way to exact revenge on Rahlin for tricking her with the Seal? She gulped and drew her sixth card.

            “I- I use Warrior of Atlantis’s ability! By discarding him, I bring the Field Spell A Legendary Ocean to my hand and subsequently activate it!”

            Not that it would last long. Mai had the Seal of Orichalcos somewhere in her deck, and Rahlin had no way to stop it. Once Rahlin had found out her opponent for the day, she had tossed the Seal from the deck she planned to use.

            She wouldn’t do that to Mai – not after all Mai had done for her.

            The shimmering waves from the fresh field gave Rahlin a sense of claustrophobia. She took a few deep breaths and pressed a card to her central monster zone. “I summon Divine Dragon Aquabizarre in attack position.”

            A frost-blue serpent slithered through the water. A lengthy orange fin protruding from the crown of its head whipped about like a cat’s tail. Its 2100 attack increased to 2300 via the Field Spell. Mai said, “Forget the rules, kid? Your monster is five stars. You can’t summon it without tribute.”

            “Normally, yeah, but A Legendary Ocean lowers the levels of all WATER monsters in my hand and on the field by 1! Divine Dragon Aquabizzare battles Harpie Queen!”

            The serpent lashed forward and snapped through Mai’s monster. Her life counter fell from 4000 to 3600. Rahlin said, “I set a face-down and pass turn.”

            Mai picked up the top card of her deck and slid it into her spell/trap slot. “The Continuous Spell Hysteric Sign lets me add Elegant Egotist to my hand. Get ready, kid, ‘cause I’m about to make your head spin. I summon Harpie Channeler and use her ability to discard. When I do, I special summon a Harpie Lady from my deck in defense position. I choose Cyber Harpie Lady!”

            The number of whip-wielding winged women on Mai’s field had increased to two. Rahlin prayed for it to stop there. Her prayers never were answered. Mai said, “I use the spell Elegant Egotist to special summon a Harpie when I have one on my field already. I choose the Harpie Lady Sisters!”

            A trio of harpies giggled and curled their whips around their forearms. Rahlin grasped her tie and resisted the urge to loosen it. The heat was getting to her. She shook her head and scolded herself into thinking rationally. Mai may have had more monsters, but none were strong enough to defeat Aquabizzare.

            “I use my set spell: Monster RebornI This recalls the monster I discarded earlier! Come on out to play, Harpie’s Pet Dragon!”

            Harpie Channeler kept a tight hold on the pale red dragon’s golden chain. Rahlin wasn’t sure why it bothered when the dragon wasn’t fighting its collar at all. The dragon, rather, was licking its chops and staring at Rahlin. Pet Dragon’s 2000 attack increased by 300 for every Harpie Lady on the field, landing it at 2900. Mai called, “Pet Dragon battles Divine Dragon Aquabizzare!”

            “Trap spring!” Rahlin shouted. Twisters ripped through the sand bed on the ocean floor. A cloud of debris captured the blast from Mai’s attack. The trio of tornadoes cycled around Rahlin. “Tornado Wall can be active while A Legendary Ocean is on the field. As long as this Continuous Trap exists, I don’t take battle damage!”

            Mai’s lips formed a pout before unveiling a miniscule smile. “Funny. I used a similar strategy, once… but I’m done with stall. You can’t stop an unrelenting offense forever. I’ll find a way to break it in time. I end my turn!”

            Rahlin hated it when Mai was right. When she drew, she was afraid to look at the card. “Mm, okay. I can do something with this. I remove from play Warrior of Atlantis and Divine Dragon Aquabizzare from my grave to special summon Fenrir! He’ll be used as tribute for Superancient Deepsea King Coelacanth!”

            The sand rumbled and stirred. A massive fish broke through the ground with a low-pitched howl. It curled its body upward and bared its razor-sharp teeth at Harpie’s Pet Dragon. Coelacanth’s 2800 attack increased to 3000.

            “So.” Mai set her fist on her hip. “This is one that would normally take two sacrifices, but its level is lowered from 7 to 6. I didn’t think they made Field Spells that annoying. I’d give Pegasus a good talking to if he hadn’t been taken care of already.”

            While Rahlin wasn’t completely sure of what Mai was referring to, the implication sent shivers racing down her spine. Rahlin said, “Uh, can I keep going?”

            “Why are you asking permission?”

            “I- I use King Coelacanth’s ability! If I discard one card, I can special summon as many Fish-type monsters from my deck as possible!”

            Mai scowled. “Ex _cuse_ me?”

            “I choose three Golden Flying Fishes and one Metabo Shark!” Coelacanth opened its maw; sparkling scales scuttled around a mutated shark swimming from the depths of the King. Metabo’s 1800 attack boosted to 2000 while the Fishes increased to 1900. Rahlin said, “Their abilities are negated, and they cannot attack. But! I have the numbers advantage now! Deepsea King Coelacanth battles Harpie’s Pet Dragon!”

            Coelacanth slammed its tail onto the chained dragon, and Mai’s life dropped to 3500. Rahlin said, “I end my turn.”

            Mai sighed as she drew. “You’re making me use too much effort, kid. I summon Harpie’s Pet Baby Dragon! Since there are three Harpies on the field, he gains some effects you’ll just love. For example, his attack is doubled with two Harpies, and with three I can destroy any card on your field I want once per turn. I think I’ll pick your Tornado Wall!”

            Rahlin bit her tongue. Mai could have destroyed A Legendary Ocean and killed two birds with one stone. This was one secret she’d take to her grave. Mai said, “It’s a good thing you special summoned all those monsters in attack position. Your life points are fair game now.”

            “W-well, you could’ve used Baby Pet Dragon’s effect on A Legendary Ocean and destroyed both!”

            Rahlin faced instant regret coupled with Mai’s startled, angry look. “So, what? You think I’m dumber than you?”

            “No, um, that’s not what I-”

            “Harpie Channeler’s effect activates! I discard to special summon another Harpie’s Pet Dragon! Pet Dragon, Baby Pet Dragon, and Harpie Lady Sisters destroy your misplaced Golden Flying Fishes!”

            Fireballs and whip cracks shattered the three monsters. The Fishes’ 1900 attack couldn’t withstand any onslaught. Rahlin’s life counter fell from 4000 to 3000, then 2500, then 2450. Mai said, “I change Harpie Channeler to defense position – because I know how this game _works_ – and end my turn.”

            Mai flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder. In the movement, a flash of green caught Rahlin’s eye.

            The card at the top of Mai’s grave was the Seal of Orichalcos.

            Rahlin’s jaw dropped. She could have saved it to deal a more devastating blow by combining it with Pet Dragon’s strength. It must have been because she was caught up in the moment. If she was angry, though, wouldn’t she want Rahlin gone forever?

            Rahlin’s head tilted. “Why would you discard it?”

            Mai blinked. She glanced at her disk. “The Seal? You didn’t seriously think I was going to use it, did you?”

            Rahlin stumbled back a step. “Buhbut- you were so mad just now and when I gave you my Seal and you- I thought- I just _thought_ -”

            Mai threw up her hands. “Yeesh. You really are like a kid. Calm down. Banter’s a part of every duel. I’m not worked up for real. It’s a big crowd. They like an emotional game. Why not show off what DOMA is capable of in front of all these people? At least, that’s what I _was_ planning, but you aren’t much for nuance.”

            “I thought you were going to kill me!” Rahlin shrieked.

            “Drama queen.”

            Rahlin slashed a card off her deck. “In that case, you’ll regret not finishing me sooner! I sacrifice Coelacanth and Metabo Shark for The Tyrant Neptune!”

            A reaper’s scythe slashed apart the sea and slammed into the sand. A larger-than-life lizard followed its flight path with chilling laughter. The head above its metal armor was tainted black, and trails of darkness flowed from its neck like a mane. Mai said, “Zero attack and defense? Who’re you trying to impress?”

            Neptune swiped its scythe, freeing Metabo and Coelacanth of their heads. Black souls drifted towards the monster. He consumed them with glee; his attack increased to 4600 then 4800 via A Legendary Ocean. I said, “Tyrant Neptune gains the original attack of all monsters used as tribute for him. He has a wonderful second ability, too. When he’s summoned, he can use the effects and name of one of the monsters used for tribute! That means I’ll be able to use Coelacanth’s ability to flood the field with Fish-types _again_! I discard to bring three Unshaven Anglers to my field! Er. In _defense_ position.”

            “So she’s capable of learning.”

            Earlier the remark would have been like a stab to Rahlin, but now, seeing the uneven smile on her opponent’s face, she felt she could restore the cursed word.

            She felt she was in a duel between friends.

            Rahlin grinned, thrust her arm forward, and exclaimed, “The Tyrant Neptune attacks Harpie’s Pet Dragon!”

            The reptile stomped forth with slow, sure steps. The blade of its scythe lingered in the sky like a waiting guillotine. Its downward sweep caught the dancing sunlight filtered through the waves above. Harpie’s Pet Dragon’s holographic head hit the seafloor. Mai’s life dropped from 3500 to 1600.

            “I end my turn.”

            Rahlin held her chin high. Both she and Mai had empty hands. Rahlin may have had bad luck, but for once, she had a hard time picturing herself losing. Mai, however, did not appear troubled. “Huh. That lizard might _look_ scary, but I’ll bet it’s like you. All soft beneath that armor.”

            Rahlin’s confidence crumbled. “Wh-what does that mean?”

            “Ability activate! Harpie’s Pet Baby Dragon can destroy a card on your field once per turn! I choose The Tyrant Neptune!”

            “The adopted effect from Coelacanth triggers,” Rahlin said. “By tributing a Fish-type on my field, I negate and destroy any card that targets Tyrant Neptune. Unshaven Angler is a goner, but Tyrant is here to stay.”

            Mai clicked her tongue. “I swap Harpie Lady Sisters to defense position and summon Harpie Lady in the same.”

            “My draw! I’ll summon Giga Gagagigo in attack position, which is possible because my Field Spell lowers his level to 4!” The armored reptile’s 2450 attack increased to 2650. Rahlin commanded, “Tyrant destroys Harpie Channeler and Giga destroys Harpie Lady Sisters! Turn end.”

            Mai was down to two monsters. She drew and smiled. A bead of sweat formed on Rahlin’s neck. Mai said, “I activate Mystical Space Typhoon!”

            “Tough luck. Destroying my Field Spell does nothing for you now.”

            “Ha. I’m using it on my Continuous Spell, Hysteric Sign!”

            “Eh?”

            “I end my turn,” Mai said. “At the End Phase, I can add three Harpie cards to my hand from my deck thanks to Hysteric Sign’s destruction.”

            “Doesn’t matter if you have more options,” Rahlin grumbled. “This duel is over now! I summon Amphibious Bugroth MK-3! Its ability lets it attack directly, and 1700 attack is more than your 1600 life points! Good game!”

            Her two monsters soared and formed a spiral of feathers. Bugroth was caught in the storm and cast back onto Rahlin’s field. Her jaw set and brow furrowed. “Um. What.”

            “Harpie Lady Sparrow Formation,” Mai explained. “This trap prevents Battle Damage if I have two or more Harpie Ladies. Thanks for jumping the gun and attacking directly first.”

            Rahlin pouted at her wink. “Goddammit. Seriously? A fact as small as that would make a difference? And you had that set from the beginning of the game… Okay, fine, it was a great play on your part. I attack with Tyrant Neptune and Giga to clear your field! I pass turn!”

            Rahlin stuffed her empty hand in her pocket. Sure, Mai had one more turn, but it was over for her. She had nothing. That was her last face-down, too. Mai drew a fourth card for her hand and said, “Looks like I win.”

            Her grip on her cane tightened. “Uh, l-listen, I know I’m kind of a screwup, but it’d be tough for even _me_ to ruin what I have set up.”

            Mai slapped a card on her Chaos duel disk. A young, winged woman flared to life. “I summon Harpie Channeler and use her ability. By discarding Cyber Harpie Lady, I special summon Harpie Queen in defense position from my deck. Next, I’ll use the Elegant Egotist I drew to special summon Harpie Lady Sisters. Now that I have three Harpie Ladies on the field, I can use my trump card.”

            Rahlin blew out air. “Three monsters. Numbers don’t beat Tyrant’s attack power.”

            “Your Tyrant isn’t my target.”

            Rahlin blinked. “He is kind of between you and me.”

            “Battle Damage is so last year.” Mai flipped over the spell in her hand, and its shiny foil caught the light. “I use Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation! When I have three or more Harpies on the field, I can select and destroy a number up to the same amount of Harpies I have for destruction!”

            “I’ll use Tyrant’s ability to negate your target!”

            “I already told you: he’s not my target. I’ll only be selecting your Giga Gagagigo with this spell.”

            “What’s that supposed to do?”

            “After he’s destroyed,” Mai said, “you take damage equal to its original attack power.”

            Rahlin glanced at the card on her disk. Giga’s original attack was 2450… which matched her current life points. Mai said, “Any last words?”

            “Uh.”

            The trio of harpy monsters lifted themselves on bright wings. Pale, blue flames caught and spread between them. The glittering form of a phoenix left sparkling ashes in the legendary ocean’s waves.

            Rahlin closed her eye and smiled.

            “Good game.”

            Flames seared through water, metal, and flesh. Rahlin’s life counter dropped to zero, and the crowd roared their cheers.

            A hand on Rahlin’s shoulder shook her out of her trance. She met Mai’s eyes, which her smile crinkled. Mai asked, “Hey. Let’s watch the rest of the matches together. I’ll get us some sodas.”

            Despite having no idea what a soda was, Rahlin nodded with buzzing excitement.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Yugi ducked beneath an upside-down staircase and lifted his head. Tan bricks formed baffling architecture; steel doors faced upright, sideways, and upside-down in areas far out of his reach. Every time he thought he’d grown accustomed to the inside of the Millennium Puzzle, he tried to take a stroll and became confused again.

            The source of his confusion was not the stairs to nowhere, the impossible to touch doors, or the third dead end he had encountered. Today it was the foreign infringement. The Puzzle’s usual lack of color had been injected with bright green. Glowing stone was laced between the bricks and grew on top of the stone like mold.

            Yugi turned on his heel. Anytime there was a change within the Puzzle, it never meant anything good. He searched for where the green stone was most present and hoped the cause would be there.

            He passed a door encased in green stone like ice had frozen over it. He grasped his necklace and frowned. A verdant light beckoned from the depths of the Puzzle’s typical darkness. Yugi’s pace slowed as he approached. Every brick in the area was captured by the green stone. The light spilled from the bottom crack of a closed door. Yugi reached for the handle. He paused, gulped, and opened it.

            A Seal of Orichalcos covered the back wall. Its ghastly green color was cast upon Yugi’s appalled face. The flickering images within the Seal’s bounds displayed the current duel, and the Seal was on the pharaoh’s field.

            Yugi dashed forward. His sneakers slipped on the floor, which was pure Orichalcos. He banged his fists against the Seal. “Pharaoh, no! What are you doing? Using that card means someone loses their soul! That was all we wanted to avoid!”

            His other half made no acknowledgement of his words. The Seal offered a bird’s eye view of the duel field. The pharaoh was using his Catapult Turtle’s ability to relentlessly sacrifice his monsters as damage to Rafael. Yugi’s heart ached as he watched the Dark Magician Girl be loaded into Catapult Turtle with pleading eyes.

            Tears streamed down Yugi’s face. Nothing was right. The dueling style wasn’t his partner’s. Neither was his cold, uncaring expression nor the harsh undertones in his voice. Yugi flipped around. He grit his teeth as he observed the infection within the Puzzle; he scrutinized the Seal of Orichalcos shining on his other half’s forehead.

            “A fitting end for a villain,” Rafael announced. He placed a card on his disk, and white feathers drifted down from the heavens like downy from angel’s wings. “The monsters you disrespected will be the cause of your downfall.”

            Ghosts from the pharaoh’s graveyard joined in Rafael’s disapproving stare. Their power streamed into Rafael’s angelic monster, boosting it to an unimaginable 10000 attack strength. The fear and regret in the pharaoh’s stance broke Yugi, and his tears streamed faster.

            Yugi shut his eyes and grabbed his temples. “C’mon, think! What would the _real_ pharaoh do?”

            “Guardian Eatos!” Rafael shouted. “Strike down the wicked pharaoh!”

            “No!” Yugi shouted. His hands shivered helplessly at his sides, and what more could he do? He wasn’t brave or strong like his partner.

            His breath hitched. His fingers curled into fists. How many times had his other half felt the same way? Against impossible odds like Pegasus and his Millennium Eye or Marik and his Winged Dragon of Ra, he hadn’t backed down in the bleakest hour. Now that the pharaoh was the one facing a cruel twist of fate, Yugi had no choice.

            He was not brave or strong, but he _had to be_.

            Yugi bashed his shoulder against the Seal. Nothing gave. Yugi slammed into it again. Cracks formed. Yugi charged into the wall. The Seal of Orichalcos shattered. Yugi fell into everlasting light. Green shards drifted with him into the blank nothing.

            He fell onto a physical floor within the white. The pharaoh was on his knees beside Yugi. The Seal of Orichalcos on the floor spiraled closer and closer.

            Yugi shoved his partner away from the encroaching circle. The pharaoh’s brows lifted when he spotted him. “Yugi! What-”

            Yugi managed a smile for the pharaoh’s sake and wiped his own tears with his fist. “I can’t lose you.”

            The pharaoh’s mouth opened to shout, but Yugi could not hear beyond the pillar of green light consuming him.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Mai leaned back, crossed her leg over her knee, and twisted her straw between her fingers. “Well, what do you know. The bastard was right. He defeated Yugi Muto, King of Games. What do you think, kid? Didja see this coming?”

            She glanced at Rahlin. Mai set down her drink. “Kid? You okay?”

            Her shaking arm had the armrest in a white-knuckle grip. The Seal of Orichalcos was closing in on Yugi. Rahlin leapt from her seat. Mai jumped up to catch her before she collapsed on the row in front of them. “Yeesh, kid! Think before you go pulling stuff like this! You have limitations!”

            “It’s _him_ ,” Rahlin wheezed.

            “Huh?” Rahlin pointed to Yugi. He sat on his knees. The Seal was capturing a soul _beside_ him. Mai said, “Did he get out of it somehow?”

            Rahlin broke free of Mai’s support. Her knees hit the sticky concrete in front of her seat. She reached into her pocket and produced a tiny green apple. Rahlin murmured, “He’s… gone?”

            “Hey, chin up, kiddo. This is good for us. The best duelist in the world is out.” Rahlin didn’t react. Her eye was fixated on the tiny fruit cradled in her palms. Mai said, “If the problem is you’re hungry, that lil’ thing won’t do much good. We can swing by the supermarket and grab some big, juicy apples.”

            “N-no, I- This-”

            Rahlin enclosed her hands around the small apple. Her mouth trembled. “I liked this one…” **  
**


	9. Blind Motives

            Dartz slammed his palm onto the DOMA conference table. None of the gathered members reacted besides Rahlin, who flinched. Dartz barked, “ _You snatched the wrong one_.”

            “You kidding?” Rafael responded. “Have you seen Yugi Muto? He’s impossible to mistake. It was him. I beat him, and the Seal took his soul.”

            “Did you miss the part where he _stood up and walked away_?” Dartz hissed. “Of course you did, you insolent ape. You were busy patting yourself on the back for your win. You did not win. You _lost_. They outplayed you with their mind games. Yugi Muto contains two souls in his vessel, and you stole the wrong one. The pharaoh is still out there.”

            “Eh, hold on,” Valon said. “How can one person have two souls?”

            Dartz held up his two index fingers. “One from himself and one shared with him from the Millennium Puzzle. Rafael captured Yugi Muto’s soul. The ancient soul of the pharaoh, which is worth thousands, roams freely without the original soul from his vessel.”

            “No big deal. We just have to beat him again,” Alister said.

            “You say it like it’s some walk in the park,” Rafael responded.

            Mai chimed in: “I’m sure it would be. I’d do it in half the time Rafael did.”

            “Maybe let me take a crack at it first,” Valon said. Mai shot him a glare.

            Rahlin remained silent. An apple was hidden in her folded hands. She twiddled her thumbs. Dartz retracted his hand from the tabletop and said, “Our objective would be complete if _someone_ hadn’t failed. I expect you all to work double time to make up for your ally. You are all dismissed – except Rahlin. I require your presence a few moments.”

            He waved towards the portal in the back of the room. She had one hand in her pocket and the other on her cane as she followed him. She was transported more gracefully this time; it was more like walking through a doorway than tumbling through dimensions. The dampness of the cavern suffocated her. She tugged her collar away from her sweaty neck.

            Dartz strolled between the crisscrossing glares of stone serpents with no such discomfort. Firelight flickered in their open maws. Their red glow illuminated the rock carvings on the far wall, which Dartz was leading her away from. His golden eye glowed and his turquoise eye darkened when he looked to Rahlin. “Why do you despair, my child?”

            “Me? No, I, I’m completely fine.”

            “Do not lie to me. I hear the inner pain of all of your kind. Tell me the cause.”

            She stumbled over her words several times while attempting to think up an appropriate lie. “I, uh, I lost today. In front of. A _lot_ of people. It’s just sort of embarrassing? And shameful.”

            Dartz stared. Rahlin flashed an awkward smile. He said, “In any case, it’s not the reason why I called you down here. There are some trespassers I trust you to handle.”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Cones of light rolled over stone carvings. Water dripped from the cavern ceiling onto Professor Arthur Hawkins’ safari hat. He held up his flashlight in one hand and his camera in the other. Orichalcos glimmered green under the shine. His cohorts snapped photographs of the carved stone.

            “By the implications of these images…” The hand holding his flashlight shook. “The great beast of darkness is created to destroy humanity. It can travel freely between the realms, and thus escaped when the Egyptian gods nearly destroyed it. What do the different realms represent to the Atlantian people? And this, the one who destroyed the great beast of darkness-”

            A _crack_ ing rhythm directed the flashlights down the dark hall to their right. They combined in a spotlight on the approaching figure of a young woman in a modern business suit. The sounds were the falls of her cane.

            “Who who who-” The Professor smacked his lips both from dehydration and bemusement. “How?”

            Green pooled in the floor beneath the team’s feet. A six-pointed star blazed, highlighting the young woman’s pale, expressionless face. She said, “You are not welcome. Since you’ve made it so far, I’ll give you a choice. You can play a card game with me on the stakes of our souls, or I can harvest you the old-fashioned way.”

            Professor Hawkins thought back to the tablets in the museum. The frame depicting the person wielding a weapon and standing on the Seal of Orichalcos surrounded by the fallen was a sharp image in his mind’s eye. The young woman hefted up the scythe-like duel disk on her arm. The scythe of a reaper, he thought, and he gulped. The Professor asked, “Are you the original harvester?”

            She was still as a statue. He adjusted his hat by the brim. What had he expected? His team was watching him with horrified confusion. He didn’t blame them. They likely saw her as some Atlantian ghost guarding the ruins.

            Arthur’s mind, however, was on the rumors of the “sleepers” and their source. Most may have seen the young woman as a small, crippled girl. The Professor saw more. The calm, collected, almost bored look in her eye said she had witnessed this thousands of times – the Seal, the threat, the panic.

            Arthur retrieved his deck from his belt. It was not his first life-or-death duel.

            But this time he did not plan on losing. For the sake of his research, his team, and, most importantly, his granddaughter waiting for him on the surface, he said, “I choose to duel.”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Rahlin returned to the main chamber to find it empty. She hobbled through the portal to the boardroom at the top of the DOMA skyscraper. The overhead lights flickered on after detecting her movement. The room was empty.

            The elevator _ding_ ed. Alister exited while holding his trenchcoat shut. When he spotted Rahlin, his frustration shifted to a bright smile. “Hi there! Dartz asked me to walk you home!”

            She brushed past him and entered the elevator. He was stunned for a moment and rushed to catch her. They descended to the lobby in silence. The front desk receptionist was locking up. He waved them through the glass doors.

            Upon exiting, Rahlin was surprised to see daylight. The day had felt worth years. She treaded onward. Alister cleared his throat. “It’s a long way away. I could carry you!”

            Rahlin glared at him. A muscle next to her nose jumped with her attempt to withhold her snarl. “Don’t patronize me. I don’t need an escort in the first place, and I can walk wherever and however far I damn well please. You can stop treating me like a child.”

            “Sorry, sorry!” he insisted. “I thought you- I was trying to- uh, sorry.”

            Rahlin watched him, her expression softening, and weariness befell her. “I’m sorry, too. I understand you’re trying to help. I haven’t had the best day, but that doesn’t mean I should take it out on the first person I see.”

            “Oh. It’s no problem! If it’s about today, I’m sure nobody thinks of you any lesser! If it’s Dartz, you have a perfect chance to make it up to him in your next match! I haven’t spoken to you since the accident, but I hope you’re adjusting well. If it weren’t for…”

            His sunny disposition darkened, and his tone harshened. “Seto Kaiba. You understand now. He’s what’s wrong with the world. He believes he owns everyone and everything, including the right to your life.”

            “I’m not so sure. Kaiba wasn’t planning on killing me with that fall. He wasn’t even expecting it to hurt me.”

            Alister side-eyed Rahlin. He said, “Even if there was some plan, you wouldn’t forgive him, would you? He ruined your life forever because of what he wanted.”

            “My life was not ruined and what came from the accident was not all horrible.”

            “There’s no way you seriously believe that,” he grumbled. “Are you admitting you forgive him?”

            “No, but I would not blind the one eye I have left to the facts set out before me.”

            He shook his head, stirring the scarlet locks framing his face. “If that’s not what has you down today, what does?”

            She stopped in her tracks. A cloud drifted over the sun. The few people passing by hurried their paces when they noticed her. She tossed her stare to the sky and asked, “When you steal a soul, are you proud?”

            “Proud?” he repeated. His stormy gray eyes scanned her, but she didn’t turn her face away from the sky. “Yes. Absolutely, because I know every soul taken is one step closer to taking down Kaiba. That’ll fix the world.”

            She folded her hand over the other, and her gaze was unwavering. “You’re fixing it for your brother.”

            “Him and any helpless victims like him.”

            Rahlin dropped her focus and studied his face. Her expression lightened with her pleasant smile. “Everyone has their own noble causes. Anyway, this is where I’m headed. Thank you for taking the time to walk me here. Good-by!”

            “Rahlin,” he called, “are you proud?”

            But she didn’t turn back.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            The squeaks of the cycling ceiling fan were in time with the beeps of the heart monitor. The pharaoh folded his dark blue jacket and threw it over his shoulder. He leaned forward, lowered his head, and clasped his hands together. The Millennium Puzzle clinked against its chain.

            On the hospital bed, the girl’s long, brown hair spread out on the sheets. Serenity’s breaths were too quiet to be heard, and the rises and falls of her chest were nuanced.

            “I dunno what to do, Yug.” Joey slumped in the chair beside him. “I’m against Mai in a couple of days. I just know I’m gonna choke up again. She’s not some creep like Rex. If she pulls out that Seal, I won’t be able to go through with dueling for real.”

            “I’m sorry,” the pharaoh said, and it was all he had. He was sure if the real Yugi was there, he would have proper words of encouragement.

            If Yugi was-

            Joey clapped his back and flashed his signature grin. “No problemo! Whatever happens, it’ll work out in the end. That’s the way it goes.”

            “I’ve never succeeded without my partner,” the pharaoh said. “I lost. I failed him and the world, and now I’m alone for it.”

            “That’s quitter talk!” Joey shouted. “First of all, you’re not done yet! The tourney’s double elim unlike Kaiba’s trash events. Second of all, you’re not alone. You never are. Don’t forget about us when you’re up there. We’ll always be cheerin’ you on. Always.”

            The enthusiasm infected the pharaoh, and he managed a smile if only a miniature one. Joey hollered, “And third of all, you gotta take down that Rahlin chick for Serenity’s sake!”

            “There’s something I needed to tell you about that.” The pharaoh grasped the sharp edges of the Puzzle. Yugi had warned him not to tell Joey _now_. He was sure enough time had passed. “Rahlin did not target Serenity. It was the other way around. Serenity stole your duel disk with the purpose of eliminating her.”

            Joey shook his head. “No. No way. That’s not like her at all! You know her, too!”

            “Yes, and I know how emotional she can be.”

            “Come _on_ , man! There’s no way I can believe that!”

            “I wouldn’t ask that of you,” the pharaoh said. “I will, however, hope you forgive me if I put the cycle of vengeance to an end. I have learned my lesson on senseless anger.”

            “So what if there’s no good comin’ from bein’ angry? Doesn’t change it’s damned hard not to be.”

            The pharaoh nodded, saying, “That I cannot blame you for.”

            “And even though I don’t exactly believe you, I gotta say I’m grateful you’re tellin’ me this before you-know-what.”

            “What are you referring to?”

            Joey’s brows lifted. “Seriously? You don’t know? You gotta pay more attention! A lot’s on the line these days!”

            “I learned that the hard way.”

            Their faces fell in unison. They settled back into the beeps of Serenity’s heartbeat and the squeaky ceiling fan. Joey broke the silence: “Aight, I ain’t leavin’ you in the dark! Listen up! You got a big day coming up, ‘cause…”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Sunlight danced in a rainbow kaleidoscope of colors on the ground. Seto Kaiba rose to a sitting position awash in crimson glow. He rubbed at his aching head and scrutinized the source of the light.

            A stained-glass window depicted the curled form of a red dragon. Candelabras flickered in the dark corners of the church. The soft rustle of footsteps padded between the pews.

            A knight strutted up the steps to the pulpit. Dashes of yellow from the window sparkled against the dull gold of the knight’s armor. Kaiba hissed, “Who’s kidnapped me _this_ time?”

            The knight waved a cupped hand towards the church’s exit. It spun on its heel, its dark cape swirling, and marched down the aisle. Kaiba grunted. “I don’t follow orders.”

            A flash of white scales outside the double doors caught his attention. He ducked his head. It was some bait; that was all. The familiar sound of unfurling wings pricked his ears. He scowled. “If this is some joke, I swear-”

            He stomped down the aisle and thrust open the double doors to the church. The knight was a speck on the horizon. Kaiba could only see it through the legs of the dragon towering over him. Its trio of heads glowered at him. The middlemost lowered and bared its fangs. Seto’s brow raised. “The details are impressive; I’ll admit that. As such, who’s stolen my technology for their virtual reality systems this time?”

            The second of the heads snapped up Kaiba by his collar. It dropped him on the dragon’s back. Kaiba grasped his forehead and wondered what had caused this fever dream. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon squatted and flapped its wide wings once. The dragon catapulted into the sky and soared through the clouds.

            Condensation spotted the skin of Kaiba’s hand and wet his whipping brown locks. He found himself holding in an excited breath and the sense of reality this false vision was giving him. He touched the dragon’s rough scales.

            He shut his eyes, smirked, and laughed a little.

            He might have been enjoying himself – if he were a simpleminded _child_.

            The dragon spread its wings and watched the ground in preparation for landing. It dropped beside the stairs leading to a pavilion the same blue as the sky. Kaiba hopped off the hologram. The dragon’s third head nudged him towards the stairs. He scowled at it.

            The knight awaited him at the top. As Seto ascended, he clapped his hands together to shake off the water droplets. “What’s your deal? Trying to prove something? I’m not impressed.”

            A chilling wind tore through the area, ripping at the knight’s cape and the tails of Kaiba’s trenchcoat. He refused to show any reaction to the goosebumps rising on his neck. The little of the knight’s expression visible beneath the black visor of its helmet had remained neutral.

            The knight drew its white blade from the sheath at its side and pointed the tip over Seto’s right shoulder. He tossed his head back. A dragon crafted from ice rested in the corner. A large blade was stabbed into its mouth.

            Kaiba chuckled. “It’s a fight you want, huh? Fine.”

            He scaled the ice statue with ease and gripped the sword handle. Its blade was more impressive than the little knight’s and thus fitting for Seto. He withdrew it from the dragon in a single sweeping draw.

            The statue rumbled beneath him. He jumped down and lost his hold on the sword. Rippling black muscles shattered through ice, and the true dragon beneath roared and shook its head as though annoyed. It peered down its snout at Kaiba. Its eye twitched.

            Kaiba turned to the knight and shouted, “You tricked me!”

            It shrugged, and the corner of its mouth quirked up. An instant later, the world went dark.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Mai leaned over her coffee cup so her cheeks could catch the rising steam. A set of thuds entered the kitchen. Rahlin sat beside her and rubbed her knuckle in the corner of her eye. Mai mumbled, “You’re up early.”

            “Went to sleep early, too,” Rahlin said, “but rough dreams. I keep seeing some friends I miss dearly. It makes sense, though. I was reminded of them yesterday.”

            “Friends, huh? Why aren’t _they_ the ones giving you tours of Domino City?” Mai teased.

            “I’m afraid dreams are the only places I’ll be seeing them again.”

            Mai’s eyes widened. “Oh. Oh, gosh. I’m sorry.”

            Rahlin waved her off with a smile. “You’re fine. I’m being too pessimistic.”

            “Actually, you seem cheery. It’s off color for you,” Mai said. “Adding in the circumstances of your match today, it makes zero sense. What’s got you so happy?”

            Rahlin’s smile flipped. “Match? I lost. That means I’m out.”

            “Ahhh, so that’s it. You didn’t know about the loser’s bracket.” Mai sighed. “Does this mean _I_ have to break the news about who you’re facing today?”

            “B-break the news? Is it bad?”

            Mai puffed a sigh, picked up the remote, and flicked on the television. Dueling Network passed through the bracket and discussed the matchups. The reporter moved onto the loser’s bracket. Rahlin’s was the first matchup.

            Mai watched her expression shift from disbelief to shock to anxiety. Her hand moved to her mouth as though she wanted to chew on her fingernails. She remembered herself and folded her hands on the tabletop.

            “C’mon,” Mai said, “chin up. Rafael beat Yugi. You can, too.”

            Rahlin’s mouth trembled. She blinked several times. Her hand held tight to her tie. Sweat drops formed on her forehead. Mai poked her temple. “Hell-ooo? Anyone in there?”

            Her eye shut, her grip twisted tighter, and her lips pursed. She opened her mouth and out squeaked a: “Fuck.”


	10. Wings of Light

            The stadium was packed with wild, raging fans chomping at the bit. The title duel was mere minutes away. Joey Wheeler had his butt parked in the blue plastic chair for the past hour waiting for this moment. He’d already chewed through his pretzel, and sips of his soda produced only air. “Come ooon! How much longer izzit gonna be?”

            “Can’t complain when you’re the one who showed up early,” Tristan commented beside him.

            “We got front row seats, dude! We couldn’t just waltz on forward after everyone’d gotten here! I bet some drunk dude would spill on my new jacket!”

            “It’s always about the jacket.”

            Joey grasped the lapels of his navy windbreaker. “You _wish_ you could have a bomb-ass jacket like-”

            “ _Stop it_ ,” Téa said. “First of all, no more bickering. Second of all, could you take off those paper crown things? They’re creeping me out.”

            Joey’s finger grazed the strap on his forehead. The stands had been giving out the designs to match Yugi’s wild hairstyle. Joey said, “No chance. We’re showing our support for Yug loud ‘n’ proud!”

            Téa dragged her palm over her face, and it had no effect on Joey’s grin. Tristan said, “Hey, guys. Don’t you think it’s weird how this seat isn’t taken yet?”

            All eyes landed on the empty spot beside them. Joey said, “Poor sucker prolly got stuck in traffic. This’s why I got here early!”

            Melodies trumpeted from the loudspeakers, and smoke poured from an entryway below the trio. Joey leapt to his feet. The jumbotron displayed the name Yugi Muto, and clips from Battle City played. The MC on the mic announced, “Introducing the man who needs no introduction, the King of Games himself, Yuuugi Muuuutooooo!”

            The legend himself strode towards the center of the arena. The jacket draped over his shoulders flowed behind him like a cape. His Puzzle glinted in the sunlight. Yugi’s expression was solemn as it had been since the loss. Joey saw a spark he didn’t before, though; he noticed the determination that had sprouted in Yugi since Joey had told him his match would be against you-know-who.

            The crowd roared and the trio joined in. After they died down, a familiar voice piped up, “Goodness! Looks like I made it right in the nick of time!”

            Joey and Tristan were stunned into silence. Téa managed, “B-Bakura? Why are you here? You said you were on vacation!”

            “My sincerest apologies,” he said with that usual smile of his. Joey couldn’t shake the feeling there was something creepy about it. He scolded himself for letting the Millennium Ring impact his opinion of his friend. Bakura continued, “In truth, I’ve been in Domino City the entire time. I asked to get a ticket near to yours so I could talk to you all again. I- gosh, I’m nervous, but I’d like to tell you the whole truth.”

            Joey squinted. “Whole truth about what, exactly?”

            “Of what I’ve been going through, and why the main reason I’m here is less to see Yugi win again and more to see her.”

            “Her who?” Tristan said.

            “And his opponent!” the MC shouted. “Rahlin Orichalcum!”

            The chick appeared as uncomfortable as she always did. She had a tight hold on her tie as she crossed the arena. Her focus was on her moving feet. Joey said, “Tell me you don’t mean the chick.”

            Bakura answered with a wider smile. “I understand you are not partial to her, but I’d like to explain why I am.”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Rahlin struggled to reach center stage and not on the fault of her leg. Thousands of people were shouting and most booing her entrance. The extreme noise rattled Rahlin’s thoughts. She wished she could shrink and knew it would do no good at the same time.

            Another pair of feet entered her vision, so she stopped. Rahlin met the prince’s eyes. “I don’t need to shuffle your deck. I would like to share a handshake prior, however, to show we duel in good spirits.”

            Rahlin offered her free hand. The prince considered it one second, two, three, and clapped his hand with hers. Her gloved fingers skimmed over the cards she had left in his palm as she released. “Good luck.”

            His pupils shrank between his amethyst irises as he observed what he was left with. “This is- how-”

            Her cane _thunk_ ed with her steps back towards her side of the field. Her Chaos duel disk clamped on her left forearm, and she said, “I’ll let you go first, okay, prince? As they say, it’s time to duel!”

            At the phrase, the audience burst out the matching chant. The overhead screen displayed both participants at 4000 life points each. The prince shook his head, and when he opened his eyes again, his astonishment had disappeared.

            “If this is how you choose to speak,” he said, “I will attempt to understand you in your language. I draw! My first move is to summon Queen’s Knight in defense position, set a single face-down spell or trap, and end my turn.”

            As Rahlin drew the sixth card to her hand, she considered his speech. Instead of letting confusion tangle him, he worked towards understanding. She decided she could never regret what she had just done, no matter what outcome it brought about for her. “I summon Golem Dragon in defense position and pass turn.”

            A brown dragon held its massive claws in front of its snout as a shield towards the regal blonde woman in crimson armor on the prince’s field. He drew for turn. “I summon King’s Knight. By his effect, since Queen’s Knight is also on the field, I may special summon Jack’s Knight from my deck to complete the trio.”

            “Effect trigger!” Rahlin shouted. “Dragon Ice in my hand allows me to discard when you special summon to also bring him out! I choose to special summon him in defense position!”

            The prince scanned the field. Rahlin found herself sweating despite his highest attack, Jack’s Knight, being 1900, which was less than Golem’s 2000 and Dragon Ice’s 2200 in defense. She pressed her hand to her neck and figured she had been sweating all along. The prince said, “I end my turn.”

            “Mine. I summon Vanguard of the Dragon! Through his ability, I discard to boost his attack from 1700 to 2000!”

            “The same monster from last time,” the prince commented.

            She nodded with a small smile. “Battle! Vanguard of the Dragon and Jack’s Knight!”

            The black lizard struck down the prince’s strongest knight, lowering his life points to 3900. The announcer shouted over the mic: “The King of Games has taken the first hit! Will we be seeing his second loss ever, or will he strike back with a vengeance?”

            “Turn end,” Rahlin said.

            “I draw, and my first action is to flip my set spell: Monster Reborn! I restore Jack’s Knight to the field!” The trio of knights remained at their standstill with Rahlin’s three dragons. The prince said, “There are three monsters on my field. You understand what happens now as a result of the choice you made.”

            Rahlin’s throat tightened, and she stood stick-straight. A response would be appropriate, but she found herself unable to speak. Her shoulders hunched of their own accord as she awaited the inevitable.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Joey slumped in his chair. His stiff upper lip was unshaken by Bakura’s tale. “Look, look, I get you’re the angel who’s all about seein’ the good in everyone. I’m just not, okay? She’s taken out Serenity!”

            “And Duke,” Téa added.

            “And Duke! I can’t forgive that chick!”

            “Remember what Yugi said, though,” Tristan commented. He and Téa were eying him with concern. Riiight. Yug had told everyone _but_ Joey that the chick hadn’t challenged Serenity.

            “Your sister?” Bakura’s eyes tilted down. “Oh, gosh, Joey, I’m so sorry. That must be horrible for you.”

            “Ayy! Take your pity where we’re not tryna hype up Yug!”

            “Oh! My apologies. He appears to be losing, but it is in technicality only. Rahlin has built up a stalwart defense. By Yugi’s talk, he has discovered his way to break through.”

            “What plan is that, though?” Tristan asked.

            Yugi shouted, “I sacrifice Queen’s Knight, King’s Knight, and Jack’s Knight!”

            “Three tributes,” Bakura said, breathless. “It must be…”

            Light blazed from above Yugi. A caw like an eagle’s rose above the crowd’s gasp. He chanted, “Almighty protector of the sun and sky, I beg of thee, please heed my cry. Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight. I beseech thee; grace our humble game, but first, I shall call out thy name: Winged Dragon of Ra!”

            A shower of gold introduced the soaring god. A blast of wind exploded from its spreading wings. Shining feathers captured and exhumed sunlight. The blue gem on its forehead sparkled, and a roar passed onto the land from its open beak.

            “No way.” Joey couldn’t look away from the magnificent beast. “But- but his Egyptian gods got swiped!”

            “I think I get it,” Téa said. “Yugi looked really shocked before the duel, which I thought was unlike him. It would make sense if he had his god cards returned to him.”

            Joey’s brow knit together. “Y’mean she gave em _back_? Right before their duel?”

            “Oh, that makes sense!” Bakura said. “It would be the honorable thing to do!”

            Joey thought there wasn’t anything honorable about that chick. She was standing still with her chin held high towards the god she faced. Yugi said, “I will make you regret your decision. Your rashness will be at the cost of a majority of your life points. Your Vanguard of the Dragon is in attack position at 2000 power. Ra’s attack is the combination of its sacrifices, equaling 5000. Winged Dragon of Ra battles Vanguard of the Dragon!”

            Heavenly fire spiraled into an orb before Ra’s teeth. The Egyptian god cawed and blasted the attack towards the chick’s field. The black dragon held up its shield, which had partially melted by the sheer heat.

            “I regret nothing.”

            Rahlin waved her hand as though swatting a fly. The attack’s trajectory shifted and smashed into her defense position monster, Golem Dragon. Its pieces flew by her, the force of the attack stirring her white hair, and her life points remained untouched. Joey had to admit there was some suave to the maneuver.

            Rahlin said, “So long as Golem Dragon is on the field, he’s the only Dragon-type you can target for attacks.”  
            “Very well,” Yugi said. “My turn is over. See what you can accomplish.”

            Eying the card she drew, Rahlin placed it on her field sideways. “I summon Totem Dragon in defense position, change Vanguard to defense, and pass turn.”

            Yugi wasted no time. “I discard to special summon The Tricky to my field. Through Tricky Spell 4, I can send The Tricky to my graveyard to special summon three Tricky Tokens. I will now be tributing these tokens for a normal summon!”

            “Three monsters again,” the chick murmured.

            “Ohhh, she’s nervous now!” Joey exclaimed. “Do it to her, Yug!”

            His tokens transformed into white orbs, which soared and shifted into a trio of rings. A light pillar shot from the earth. The stadium rumbled. The earth shook, and the sky split. A blue fist smashed through the pillar, dissipating the luminescence.

            “Welcome a god of almighty strength: the one and only Obelisk the Tormentor!” Yugi shouted. “Now, I activate Ra’s special ability. By offering 1000 life, I can destroy a monster of my choosing. Totem Dragon is seared!”

            Ra cawed to the sun, and a flare spiraled down to smite Totem Dragon. Yugi announced, “Battle Phase begin! Winged Dragon of Ra attacks Vanguard of the Dragon, and Obelisk the Tormentor attacks Dragon Ice!”

            A flurry of fire and fists later, Rahlin’s field was empty. Her face was impassive even as her line of defenses crumbled. Yugi said, “On Main Phase 2, I play the last card in my hand: Card of Sanctity. We both draw until we have six cards.”

            “You’re giving me more resources?”

            “Yes, but I am assured to gain more than you, since you had two cards and I had none,” Yugi explained. “There is an inherent gambit in the spell, which I believe I’ve won. I play Last Will. Its conditions are met because The Tricky was sent to my grave by Tricky Spell 4. I can special summon any monster in my deck so long as its attack is 1500 or less. I choose Watapon, in defense position.”

            “Whaaa?” Joey said. “That fluffball, of all things?”

            “I’m sure he has a plan,” Téa said. “He always does.”

            They were distracted by Bakura laughing. “My apologies, it’s… it’s a bit ridiculous to see. Two Egyptian gods next to Watapon! Oh, I’m sorry I’m getting so carried away, but I can’t help it!”

            Tristan and Téa joined in his laughter. Joey kept his stiff upper lip. “We’re s’posed to take this seriously, guys! It’s a big duel!”

            Bakura and Téa stopped immediately. Tristan had to fake a cough to cover his continuing giggles first. Joey crossed his arms and focused on the chick dueling, who’d drawn the seventh card for her hand.

            “On my Standby Phase, I’ll use Totem Dragon’s effect in the graveyard. Since I have no monsters, I can special summon, but she’ll be removed when she next leaves the field. I’m discarding a level 8 or higher monster to special summon Hardened Arm Dragon in defense position. Finally, I’ll summon Magna Drago in defense, set a face-down, and pass turn.”

            “My Main Phase begins with the spell card Multiply!” Yugi shouted. “The requirement of the effect I desire is a monster with 500 or less attack strength. Watapon meets the conditions! I sacrifice him as the price for three Multiply Tokens, and all three will be used for tribute!”

            Cloud cover built in the sky through speedy storm winds. Their hurricane-like force bent trees and tossed drinks from their holders. The sky was black within seconds. Blue lightning cracked the sky. Yellow lightning struck the tokens. Crimson lightning scattered the storm and took the form of a snakelike, winged body as large as the stadium. The monster growled from two mouths, and wherever its golden eyes glared, lightning struck as if from nowhere and everywhere.

            “Slifer the Sky Dragon graces the surface!” Yugi said. The Egyptian god spread its wings, and their black webbing blotted out the sun. “Its attack strength is dependent on my current hand size, which is four! Slifer has 4000 attack and defense points!”

            The god trio glowered at Rahlin’s field. Their 4000, 4000, and 5000 attack strength made her minor monsters appear as dust beneath the gods’ trampling. Yugi thrust his arm forward as he commanded, “Slifer the Sky Dragon destroys Totem Dragon! Obelisk the Tormentor eliminates Hardened Arm Dragon! Winged Dragon of Ra razes Magna Drago!”

            A cobalt ray of lightning fried the smallest dragon. Obelisk crushed the armor-covered lizard in his fist. A volley of flaming feathers shattered the miniature red dragon. Rahlin’s life remained untouched.

            “What gives?” Joey said. “He coulda used Ra’s ability to get rid of one of those monsters and wipe her out!”

            “It could have helped, but she would still have her face-down card,” Bakura pointed out. “Yugi would pay a cost that would leave him below half of his life points, while hers could remain untouched.”

            “’Sides, she can’t hold on forever,” Tristan said. “Only reason it worked last time’s ‘cause Yugi used Card of Sanctity. He was right about the gamble working in his favor. He got his last god. All she got was one more turn.”

            “Iunno, it doesn’t sit right with me!” Joey said.

            Téa rolled her eyes. “We all know your biases. You’ve been loud enough about them.”

            “If she had a way to wipe the field, don’tcha think she woulda done it by now?” Tristan asked.

            “Facing all three Egyptian gods at once… I can’t imagine it,” Bakura said. “When I look at her, though, she appears entirely equipped to handle it. The gods’ summoning, her monsters’ destruction – she hasn’t been fazed by any of it.”

            “Yeah, that’s what’s bothering me!” Joey said. “When freaky deaky Marik summoned one of them on me, I couldn’t stop myself from shaking! Me! Joey Wheeler!”

            “We know your name,” Téa grumbled.

            “Y’get the point, though! They have an effect on ya, like they’re more than a card in a game. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s the way it is! That chick’s been crazy nervous in every duel, so it makes zero sense she’d be fine right now, in the moment when she should be spooked to the max!”

            Tristan grasped his chin. “Now that you mention it, you do have a point there.”

            “So there’s a plan,” Téa said.

            “That’s what’s buggin’ me!” Joey said. “She totally gave him back those god cards as a trap. I’ll bet she’s cheating to humiliate him!”

            “I’m not so sure,” Bakura said. “At the beginning of the duel, she seemed nervous as usual. Yugi shuffled her deck, so I don’t see how she could have planned anything. Of course there are other ways – cards up the sleeve, for example – but it would be nigh impossible with thousands watching. Most importantly, it’s nothing like her to cheat. She is not a cheater.”

            Joey coughed into his fist. “ _Opinions_ aside, I _guess_ cheating would be difficult. Doesn’t change that something’s up!”

            Téa flicked his ear. “How about you wait and see before jumping into cheating accusations, dummy?”

            “She hasn’t moved yet,” Bakura said.

            All attention turned to Rahlin. She leaned more heavily on her cane as she scanned the four cards in her hand. She shifted her weight as best she could, attempted to stand straight, and flicked a card into the rightmost spell/trap slot.

            A mirror formed behind her. Its reflection depicted Yugi and his three Egyptian gods, their bright, primary colors a stark contrast to Rahlin’s monochrome getup. “This is the spell card, Dragon’s Mirror. It will allow me to Fusion Summon a Dragon-type using monsters in my grave as material.”

            “Make an attempt at Five-Headed Dragon as many have before!” Yugi challenged. “Its power can only equal Ra’s!”

            Rahlin snapped her fingers. The mirror cracked. The three sections revealed white dragons. “I’m Fusion Summoning Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.”

            “Impossible,” Yugi said. “A Blue-Eyes White Dragon hasn’t even been on the field! For Ultimate, you would need three in your grave!”

            “And three I have. The first was cost for Dragon Ice’s effect. The second was discarded on behalf of Vanguard of the Dragon’s attack boost. The third and final was sent to the grave for Hardened Arm Dragon’s special summoning.”

            Yugi’s eyes widened. “You’ve been working towards this from the beginning.”

            Glass shattered. Three heads tore through the mirror, and the sheer force of the dragon’s existence broke the frame into pieces. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon took flight above Rahlin. Her long locks were stirred in all directions as the dragon stretched its wings.

            They were dwarfed by the Egyptian gods’. Yugi said, “It makes no difference. Ultimate Dragon is unable to overcome Ra’s attack power. It may be possible to destroy, say, Obelisk, but the destruction of a single god is not victory for you. Slifer and Ra await to avenge.”

            “See what he’s doing?” Tristan said. “He’s baiting her into attack Obelisk so he can do that extreme ultra super move where he sacrifices the others.”

            “Correct,” Bakura said. “If he tributes the other two gods when Obelisk is attacked, Obelisk’s power becomes infinity. Rahlin would instantly lose.”

            “I hope this works,” Joey muttered.

            “Choose your attack target!” Yugi urged.

            Rahlin’s eye slid across the field, examining deities with disinterest. “No.”

            “You summoned it in attack position with no plans to attack? The gods will punish your mistake.”

            Cracks formed in her dragon as though it were made of clay. The gorges deepened and darkened. A neck fell to the ground and collapsed into sand. Rahlin tossed up her hand. “Tribute: Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.”

            Her lone monster crumbled, and a zephyr carried the remains into the stormy sky. Yugi’s eyebrows pushed inward. “You used the monster you worked so hard to summon as a simple tribute?”

            “Simple?”

            Rahlin laughed. There was no emotion in it. A blue flame blazed in her pupilless iris. Light shot into the sky from the distant Domino City slums. The luminescence cut the storm like a splitting black curtain.

            Darkness scattered to unveil the azure sky. A droplet of light fell to the surface and landed within Rahlin. A glow emanated from her, and her hair lifted as though suspended in water. Her arm reached towards the sky.

            Rahlin whispered, and it was heard across the City: “I beseech thee, Master.”

            Wings of light stretched from her shoulders. The world around her was but shadows by the sheer brilliance of the draconic wings. They expanded outward and rose upward. A dragon’s silhouette filled in the body. The white dissolved to reveal its features. Yugi had no need to view the details of the card.

            “Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon,” he named, his mouth hanging open.

            “He is honored to be recognized by the King of Games and Prince of Egypt,” Rahlin said. “If you are familiar, it is no surprise what move I take next.”

            “Pffft. What move izzat supposed to be?” Joey said. “The dunce replaced the stronger monster with a weaker one! Thing only’s got 3000 attack points! The other one could at least take out one o’ the gods if she picked right!”

            “There is more to it,” Bakura said. “With as strict summoning conditions as specifically tributing Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, there must be.”

            Téa chewed on her thumb nail. “This is weird. Yugi’s acting like he’s seen that dragon before. I think I have, too, but it’s hazy like a dream – or a nightmare.”

            Yugi said, “The attack increase. You gain 300 for each Dragon-type in your grave, but that has only brought Shining Dragon to 4800 attack. You lack the power to destroy the god that is Ra.”

            Rahlin faced her palm to the earth and said, “I exist to defy gods. Ability activate! Through dissimilation will the world be born anew!”

            Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon soared towards the sun. A blue bubble encapsulated its body and emitted a soft glow. The dragon cried out as it fell towards the stadium like a bright and burning meteor. Through the blinding and deafening Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, Rahlin’s greater shout could be heard: _“SHINING NOVA!”_

            A supersonic explosion shot azure flames like the blaze in Rahlin’s eye throughout the field. Sizzles and screams filled the air until the unquenchable fire was swept away as blue sparkles in the wind. Silence settled as the crowd surveyed the field.

            The three Egyptian gods, Yugi’s strongest monsters, were gone. Gasps of awe and outrage followed. Yugi was calm in the moment. His eyes closed, and a corner of his mouth lifted. “I see. Shining Nova tributes your Shining Dragon to destroy all three of the gods. Dragon’s Mirror and Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon were the two cards in your hand from the beginning. I never would have expected that to be your win condition – a Fusion Summon from the grave. Very clever.”

            Rahlin’s gloved hands were folded over her cane. Her eye and hair had returned to normal. Her dragon was gone, and a lone face-down made up her field. She said, “I did not expect you to be pleased.”

            “I am, but not for reasons you would expect. You have revealed your true nature: light.”

            She scoffed. “Light is not abstract. Nature is.”

            His smile was unfazed. “Go on with your turn.”

            “Eh?” Joey said. “What’s he trying to say?”

            “Prolly that he thinks she’s an alright person,” Tristan said.

            “What, from summoning a shiny monster? That makes no sense.”

            “Only one person can explain the meaning behind Yugi’s words,” Bakura said. His eyes upturning with his smile told the story of what explanation he sided with, but Joey knew he was wrong.

            He turned all his attention on Yugi. Gods or no gods, he’d seen his buddy pull off a thousand wins in tight spots before. Once he had, Joey had plenty of questions for him.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Rahlin swayed and righted herself. Lending her sleeping Master the energy she had took more out of her than she cared to admit. With the thousands watching coupled with the piercing glare of the prince across the field, she refused to show it. She tightened her hold on her cane and announced, “Trap activate!”

            The single card on her field flipped up to reveal a row of graves and purple mist rising from them. “Call of the Haunted lets me special summon any monster from my grave in attack position. I choose Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Direct attack with Neutron Blast!”

            Ultimate Dragon’s triple heads twitched as they built up energy. Their maws opened to fire twining beams of orange, blue, and green. The attack rushed towards Yugi. The blast halted and split into a multitude of streams.

            A brown furball hopped in front of the prince. He said, “I discard Kuriboh to negate the damage.”

            Rahlin nodded, saying, “Turn end.”

            Before the prince drew, he cupped his Puzzle, shut his eyes, and raised his chin. Rahlin wondered if he was praying or dreaming. In a graceful arc, he swiped the top card off his deck. He slipped it into his spell/trap slot instantly. “Dark Magic Curtain! I pay 2000 life points to special summon the Dark Magician from my deck in attack position! I set one and end my turn.”

            As a rushing stage curtain pulled back, Rahlin watched the prince’s life counter. His monster had 2500 attack. His counter was at 900. With Ultimate’s 4500 attack, he had doomed himself by placing it in attack position.

            But he wasn’t the type to make mistakes.

            Rahlin drew and figured the best she could do was call the potential bluff. “Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon battles Dark Magician.”

            “I use my trap: Zero Gravity!” the prince said. “All monsters on the field change positions. Since you cannot swap positions during the Battle Phase, your attack is made impossible.”

            “In Main Phase 2, I set a face-down and pass turn.”

            Yugi’s eyebrows lifted at his draw. “I play the Legendary Dragon card, the Eye of Timaeus!”

            Rahlin’s hands clenched. She squeaked, “Timaeus?”

            A cobalt dragon clawed out of the matching color card. He stood tall on all fours and flapped his wings. His right eye was marred and scarred over by lighter blue skin. His single eye met hers. Her breath caught. Their gazes were locked for a century in a second.

            Timaeus’s scaly lips curled back over his teeth. Rahlin anticipated a growl. As his snout dipped and his eye closed, she realized it was the closest he could get to a _smile_. Timaeus stepped a paw forth and lowered his neck. Bright green enveloped his body, and the light shrunk into nothing.

            “What?” the prince said. “He… he’s gone. Timaeus abandoned me.”

            The air was knocked out of Rahlin’s lungs. The gesture he had performed was not lost on her. Her throat tightened. She rapidly blinked her eye to fight the threatening emotions. She focused on her opponent and opened her mouth. She wanted to say something, anything to explain what had happened, but no words would form.

            The prince shook his head as though to clear it. “I play Card of Sanctity! We draw until there are six cards in our hand!”

            Both Rahlin and her opponent drew five. The prince said, “Now, I play the spell card Rebellion! I select one of your monsters, and it is forced into attack position and directly attacks you! Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is my choice!”

            Her three-headed dragon spun towards her. She yelped and managed, “N-negate Attack!”

            The trap flipped up and shielded her from the blast. “I play a Ritual Spell known as Black Luster Ritual. With a tribute equaling levels of 8, such as the Dark Magician Girl and Beta the Magnet Warrior in my hand, I can Ritual Summon an ultra-powerful monster!”

            Dark Magician Girl appeared above the prince. She held the little magnetic robot in her crossed arms and giggled. Their bodies shifted into yellow and pink energy, which spiraled into a pillar. The colors dissipated to unveil an armored monster with 3000 attack points. The plume on his helm was the shade of blood, and his armor was the navy of the night behind the stars.

            “Now I shall activate a legendary Equip Spell that goes by the name Excalibur!” the prince exclaimed. His Ritual Monster dropped its sword and shield in favor of the large blade, which was easily half his height. “Black Luster Soldier’s attack points double!”

            The blade glowed white like Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon’s scales. His monster’s attack rose to 6000, which was 1500 more than Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon’s. The prince pointed at her dragon, commanding, “Attack, Black Luster Soldier!”

            The knight leapt into the sky, blotting out the sun for milliseconds, and fell with his weight on the blade. Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon split; its right half collapsed onto the ground as Rahlin’s life counter dropped to 2500.

            “Dark Magician!” the prince shouted. “Dark Magic Attack!”

            The sorcerer twirled his staff and thrust it towards her. A crackle of fuchsia struck her. Rahlin’s life counter dropped to zero. The sound of the flatlining duel incited rejoicing from the massive crowd.

            Though it was over and the cheers across the world hyped her defeat, Rahlin smiled. She grinned like a fool and had a sparkle in her eye. She folded her cards back into her deck holder with pleasure and deactivated her Chaos duel disk.

            “Good match, Prince of Egypt.”

            Rahlin started towards her exit.

            “Wait!” the prince called. He had dashed to her side of the field. She angled her head back. “I have questions. These god cards aren’t the same copies as the ones I earned in Battle City, but they aren’t fake, either. Also, the Seal of Orichalcos – you didn’t have it in your deck this time, did you? Why? And how-”

            “In two days,” she said, “meet me at Domino Park’s apple tree at noon.”

            He stared at her. The tournament MC strutted towards him, grabbed his wrist, and raised his arm. “Introducing your winner! The King of Games on the comeuppance! Yuuugiiii Mutooooo!”

            In the commotion of cheers, Rahlin left the arena. Her exit hall was empty. She smiled to herself as she hobbled onward. Someone rounded the corner. He slammed his hand into the wall and hissed, “Impossible. There is one of those cards in existence, and I own it. You cannot continue to defy reality.”

            He flashed the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon card. Rahlin said, “Reality is far beyond what you can see, Seto Kaiba.”

            His expression pinched with his snarl. His arm slid off the wall, and he stepped towards her. Running footsteps from the other side of the wall rushed towards them. A body barreled into Kaiba, tackling him away. Joey Wheeler posted up between them. “Ay! Cut it out!”

            “You’re interrupting a valuable discussion, Wheeler.”

            “Looked more like intimidation to me, Kaiba.”

            “Whatever,” he said under a frustrated breath. “Neither of you are worth my time.”

            Rahlin watched him leave. She peeked at Joey to find him still glaring at the door Kaiba had left from. With a cough into her fist, she said, “Thank you.”

            “No! Nonono. This wasn’t _for_ you, okay. I just happen to hate him a lil’ more than I hate you!”

            “Ah,” she said. “I supposed this is to call us even, then?”

            “Eh? Even for what?”

            “Never mind.” She covered her smile with her hand. “I wasn’t able to tell him earlier, so I hoped you could pass a message along to your friend. Big crowds get under my skin. If you could mention an appreciation for the spectacular duel we shared, I would be grateful. It was the best of my life.”

            “Uh, sure, whatever.”

            He was trying awfully hard to keep staring at the wall to their right. Rahlin cleared her throat and decided to save him from his misery. “Good-by, and thanks again, Joey.”

            “Hold up.”

            “Yes?”

            Joey continued to avoid eye contact. “Did… did my sister challenge you?”

            “Huh? Oh. That girl with your duel disk before the tournament. Yes, she did.”

            His head shot up to stare at her in the seconds following her answer. She held it, her brow furrowing, but she couldn’t tell what was going on in his mind. Joey spun on his heel. His footsteps echoed down the hall as he exited on the arena side. Rahlin shrugged and pushed outside.

            “Hey, kiddo.” Mai was leaning against the fence separating the competitors’ entrance from the street. Rahlin walked to meet her. “You look pleased with yourself. Weird way to take a loss.”

            Rahlin cocked her head. Pleased, happy, satisfied. “Defeated” was not among her emotions. She supposed it was strange to others. However…

            She tossed her focus to the sky. The bright sun greeted her, no longer blocked by a god’s storm, a dragon’s wing, or a soldier’s sword. She held a flat hand over her brow to shadow her eye, and she smiled to the bright and brighter day.

            “Well, whatever it is,” Mai said, “you might want to shift your headspace. Dartz called for a one-on-one meeting right after the duel.”

            Rahlin grimaced and clutched at her heart, which had sunk six feet under.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM & chapter title inspiration: Wings by Other https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hh3tNYqD2sA 
> 
> Aaaand next chapter, Rahlin has to deal with her punishment


	11. Oops

            Despite Rahlin having faced a trio of Egyptian gods minutes ago, she had never felt so small as in her patron’s presence. Dartz stood at the opposite head of the table in the DOMA boardroom. The fury painted on his face was further augmented by the reptilian slit pupil in his turquoise eye.

            Rahlin’s focus darted from her hands folded on her cane to her patron’s furious glare and back again. If she held it too long, she feared a hole would be burned through her.

            Dartz hissed, “You had one duty. One. Capturing the pharaoh’s soul would exceed the amount we require, but you leave the opportunity dead in the water by returning the most powerful cards in Duel Monsters to his possession. My first question is _how_ do you, of all people, have earnest copies of the Egyptian gods?”

            The coffee maker in the corner dripped. A fly hit the light panels. Air hissed past Dartz’s clenched teeth. “All of a sudden you’re as quiet as you were in your past life. I have one question for you, Rahlin Orichalcum. Why is it the only moments you show courage, cunning, and determination are when you _defy me_?”

            Rahlin snapped to attention. “You were not my concern. I had a duty to Pharaoh Aknamkanon as was promised, and I fulfilled it without sullying my honor.”

            “Duty? Honor?” Dartz questioned. His laughter ached with contempt where joy should have rung. As he spoke, he rounded the long table towards her. “My child, you are a plain fool if you’ve convinced yourself you’re like them. You are not a knight, Rahlin.”

            The fly had crawled into the light fixture and sizzled against the heat. Sweat trickled down Rahlin’s neck as she held her patron’s condescending stare. Dartz swiped the cane out of her grip and shoved her. Rahlin stumbled back, and her shoulders slammed against the wall. Her attempts to hold herself up failed. She sank to the ground.

            “A _real_ knight could stand and fight for himself. You are anything but. Nothing can change that. Let’s not forget that this world did have knights. They were cursed and lost _because of you_.

            “Rahlin Orichalcum, you are the extinction of honor and duty. If you were true to your cause, we would live in a perfect world. Instead these petty grievances hold you back because you are no more than a petty creature.”

            Dartz held the silver cane and backed away. “I gave you the freedom to walk this world, and I can revoke it just as easily. Think on why you made the wrong choice and remember your true desire. If you do, I might consider coming back for you.”

            The _ding_ of the elevator marked the end of his speech. The sliding doors closed off the image of Dartz’s back. A part of Rahlin screamed to go after him but it was dampened and buried by the cold fact that she couldn’t. To crawl after him would be so embarrassing and shameful.

            A minor flash came from the overhead light. The fly had sizzled out of existence. Rahlin’s hands bunched up the fabric of her pants. Her mouth trembled, but she resisted the burn in the back of her throat.

            She rested her head against the wall. The words should not have cut as deep as they had. The wounds left behind pulsed like pain in her mind. Her hands covered her ears but the thoughts remained. Not a knight. Can’t stand and fight. Petty creature.

            Rahlin hugged her legs to her chest and fell to her side. She thought she knew the depths of helplessness. Her patron had dragged her ever deeper. The passing of seconds signaled by the tick-tocking of the wall clock were lost to Rahlin. A void had captured her senses, and the only existing presences were her heartbeat and her thoughts.

 

_he’s right._

_it’s_

_all my fault_

_they’re gone._

 

            _Ding!_

            The elevator slid open. Footsteps triggered the motion-detecting lights. Something scraped against the table on its way up. Rahlin loosened her hold on her knees and peeked at the visitor.

            Valon jumped. “Bloody hell, you spooked me! I swore nobody was in here! What in the world are you doing? Your meeting with Dartz was s’posed to be five hours ago!”

            Five hours, she thought. Had it really been that long? Her parched throat and pinpricks of pain in her stomach said yes. In shaky words, Rahlin said, “I couldn’t go anywhere. Dartz took my cane and left. I’m stuck.”

            “Stuck, eh?” His eyes searched the weaves of the carpet. They snapped into focus. Valon tossed the duel disk he’d grabbed from the table. Rahlin struggled to catch it. “Hold onto that for me.”

            “Why do you- agh!” He hoisted her up over his shoulder. Valon ducked into the elevator and pushed the lobby button. Rahlin shouted, “What are you doing?”

            “Rescuing you.”

            “Th-that’s not true at all! This is even worse!”

            Without regard for her, Valon whistled a tune and exited the building through the lobby. Rahlin’s cheeks burned. The duel disk shielded her face. Even if she fought to be put down, she’d be abandoned in the middle of the street. The thought of the further embarrassment paralyzed her.

            Whatever path Valon had taken must’ve been a busy nightlife area; Rahlin heard mutterings all around them. She cursed him thrice for putting her through this. Why, of all people, did it have to be him walking through that door?

            “If you’re concerned, don’t be,” he said as though it were just that simple. Goddamned airhead. “This is for Mai’s sake.”

            “The hell do you mean?” Rahlin snapped. “Mai makes it pretty clear she doesn’t want anything done for her sake.”

            “She doesn’t mean that. With all I’ve done for her, she loves me.”

            “Why are you so desperate for that to be the truth?”

            Valon readjusted the goggles on his forehead. He shifted Rahlin. His shoulder stabbed her gut, and she grunted. Valon said, “Somebody has to.”

            Rahlin’s wince was not from the hunger pangs this time. Whatever was off about him was buried deep. Whether she wanted it or not, she was along for the ride. She hazarded, “Are you lonely?”

            “No,” he said quickly. “Are you?”

            “There was a long time I had to spend filled with deep regret that I could have spent with companions if I was not so foolish,” Rahlin said. “But no. I’m not lonely. I’m sad for different reasons.”

            “No use in bein’ sad. I keep moving instead. Try it sometime.”

            The weight of his Chaos duel disk was suddenly too much for her to bear without dropping her arms, revealing her face to the world. “Ignoring your problems does not make them disappear.”

            “S’worked well enough for me.”

            “I prefer visualizing the life I would like to have and crafting a plan to make it into reality.”

            “That include having a bum leg?” he asked, and she snarled. Valon had turned down an alley. Rahlin shielded her nose as they walked past stacks of garbage bags. The area opened to a concrete courtyard. “Ay, Wheeler! Nice t’ see you kept up your end of the deal!”

            “What’s _she_ doing here?” Wheeler asked. Rahlin kept her head low to keep from meeting his eyes.

            “I know you got a grudge against this bird, so I’m cutting you a deal, Wheeler. You win our duel, and you can have her to do whatever you want. She can’t run away, neither!”

            The duel disk slipped from her grasp. From duelist to sack of potatoes to bargaining chip in one day. Joey said, “C’mon, man, that’s messed up. You got a human being there in your arms!”

            Human being, huh, Rahlin wondered. Valon tossed her off. Her back slammed into the concrete. Her skull whipped back and she swore she heard a crack. Rahlin cradled her head and struggled to see past a haze of stars.

            “Whaddya say?” Valon asked.

            “I say you’re nuts!” Joey answered. “Look, if I duel ya, will you leave her and Mai alone?”

            “Whoever’s soul goes away will stop causin’ trouble,” Valon said, “not that _I’m_ any.”

            The Chaos duel disk swiveled open and shot out scythe-like card zones. Joey activated his standard white disk. Rahlin covered her face with her gloved hands as they started into a shouting match about who would go first.

            “Hey. You okay?” Rahlin peered out of the gap between her fingers. Her swimming vision refused to focus on the owner of the feminine voice. The voice said, “I’ll help you up, okay? You look like you need it.”

            A splayed hand between her shoulder blades helped her to sit upright. Her stomach grumbled. She grimaced and covered it with her arms. The girl beside her dropped her bag, unzipped the top, and handed Rahlin a water bottle and a granola bar. Like an animal, Rahlin tore into them instantly. She remembered herself when they were gone. “Um, thank you-”

            Her sentence caught in her throat. The girl who’d helped was none other than that brown-haired girl – a pal of the prince’s. She was smiling as though the world held no injustice. The girl extended her hand, saying, “I’m Téa.”

            She accepted the handshake with no qualms. “Rahlin.”

            The shouting match was growing in intensity. Téa ignored Joey and Valon to lean closer to Rahlin. She angled her face away. Téa said, “Oh, sorry! I’m trying to make sure you don’t have a concussion. I can’t see your pupil at all, though, so I’m sure there’s no problem.”

            “Why do you care?”

            “Anyone would after seeing that guy throw you to the ground. Are you able to stand up?”

            “Well, uh, no.”

            “Would it kill you to be more respectful, Téa?” The guy with the pointy brown hair crouched next to them. “She’s obviously missing her cane. She literally can’t stand. That’s why Mr. Brit over there was hauling her around.”

            “I didn’t mean it like that!” Téa protested. “Sorry!”

            “Um, I never assumed you did?” Rahlin said.

            The guy laughed. “I figured, but it’s funny to see Téa all worked up, right? The name’s Tristan, by the way!”

            He was able to point at himself with his thumb seconds before Téa shoved him. Tristan repeated her pleas with a faux high-pitched voice as she crossed her arms and scowled. Rahlin’s head tilted. “You people are confusing. I am your enemy.”

            Tristan explained, “That’s not what our buddy Bakura said. He wouldn’t stop talking about how cool you are.”

            “Bakura?” Rahlin asked.

            “Ryo Bakura,” Téa said. “It was more than that. He told us all about how you two met, and he convinced us of how good a person you were before you gave Yugi the god cards. Afterwards, he wouldn’t stop talking about how well you were dueling against the odds.”

            “He really said that? About me?” Rahlin murmured. “And he… stood up for me?”

            “Yeah, so, where’s your cane at?” Tristan asked. “You lose it?”

            Téa rolled her eyes. “He’s tactless, I know. There’s no way she _lost_ it, Tristan. I’ll bet that guy stole it.”

            “Not him,” Rahlin whispered, “but yes, you hit the mark.”

            “I activate the Seal of Orichalcos!” Valon shouted. The double circles flared into existence, and the sky echoed the verdant light. “You’re in for it now, Wheeler! I’m playing my Full Armor Gravitation!”

            Téa held her fist to her chest, and her eyes slanted downward. “They’re really going at it.”

            “Check the counters, though,” Tristan said. Rahlin followed his line of sight to see Joey’s at 2500 and Valon’s at 2100. “Joey’s in the lead. He won’t lose.”

            “I don’t understand,” Rahlin said. “Why are they dueling each other?”

            Téa said, “Tomorrow, Joey and Mai are against each other in bracket. Valon wanted to duel Joey first because he’s afraid of Joey and Mai dueling. Joey has been a… person of interest to Mai, but she’s made it obvious that’s not the case anymore. Makes sense she’d get fed up. Every time they have a chance of getting closer, Joey blows it.”

            “I think it’s on purpose. Guy probably can’t handle a woman like that.”

            “Can you take this seriously for two seconds?” Téa said.

            “Alright, alriiight! The way Valon talks about Mai – he’s clearly in love with her, and he sees Joey as competition. He’s trying to prove himself to her, I guess.”

            “As if it would have any effect,” Téa mumbled. “Mai’s very much her own woman.”

            Rahlin’s expression was downcast. “The way Valon spoke made it come off like he’d never been loved by anyone before. His desperation is tragic.”

            Tristan huffed. “Pretty nice way to put it considering the dude threw you on the ground.”

            “That makes it all the more obvious he’s unstable,” Téa said. “He’s angry enough to decide one of them needs to be gone forever.”

            Valon’s body was encased in armor. His sneer was clear from where Rahlin was sitting. The suit’s rocket boots thrusted forward, and he struck Joey across the face. Joey collapsed on the ground.

            “I can’t watch these parts,” Tristan muttered. “I’m gonna dig through the trash to see if I can find something for you to use as a cane, aight? When I get back, Joey better be winning.”

            “Ugh. He’s so faithless!” Téa said. “Me, I believe in my friends no matter what. You watch, Rahlin. Joey will believe in the heart of the cards and draw exactly what needs.”

            Joey struggled to his feet. His sneaker skid on a puddle of grime, and he tumbled back to the ground. Valon laughed and threw in some jeers for good measure.

            The second time, finding his footing was a simple feat. He swiped the top card of his deck, and it left a white arc lingering in the air like the skimming seafoam atop a wave. Joey lifted his arm so the card faced the Seal of Orichalcos glowing in the night sky.

            “I play the Claw of Hermos!”

            Scarlet wings shadowed the moon. Hermos landed with a gust of wind that had Téa and Rahlin covering their faces with their elbows. The dragon attempted a glare at Valon. The tongue hanging out its mouth like an excited dog’s subtracted from the fury. Rahlin smiled a bit at the sight, but it was stolen by the pang in her heart when she spotted the scar on Hermos’s paw.

            “So what?” Valon asked.

            “So now he combines with one of my monsters!”

            Valon gestured towards Joey’s empty field. “The monsters you don’t have?”

            Joey blinked. He slapped Rocket Warrior and Monster Reborn onto his standard disk. Brigadier of Landstar rejoined the fray. Joey said, “These monsters right here, of course! I’m combining Hermos wit’ Rocket Warrior for Rocket Hermos Cannon! It’s a nice lil’ Equip Spell, let me tell ya. I’ll blast all that armor off of ya in one move!”

            A sigh caught Rahlin’s attention. Téa’s hands had fallen in her lap. “I know he comes off like a total doofus, but he always has a plan, I swear. When he’s got that big smile of his, I can’t ever worry. It’s hard to explain the sensation, like…”

            “Serenity.”

            “That’s his sister’s name.”

            “It is also the name of the sensation,” Rahlin said.

            “Huh. I never thought of calling him _serene_ , but I guess you’re right.”

            The hollow _clank_ of metal hit the concrete and rolled towards Rahlin. Tristan dropped to his knees and swallowed air. “Yeesh! I had to hold my breath so long I swore I’d drown in trash! Check it out, though. I found the perfect one!”

            He flashed a grin. Téa’s nose wrinkled, and she flicked a banana peel off his shoulder. Rahlin held the object in her hands. The lead piping had a curved section on one end. Since it was shorter, she would have to bend over at a more uncomfortable angle, but…

            Her hands wrung tighter. “Perfect. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

            “Ahh, it’s no big- woah! What? When did Joey get his own kickass armor?”

            “That’s riiight,” Joey teased in a singsong voice. “After Graverobber and the Claw of Hermos, I’m upgrading my suit with your own card! Time for a taste of your own medicine! Oh, and you can’t stop your own attack from hitting me.”

            “I don’t care if it hits you!” Valon screamed. “That’s what I want!”

            Joey waved his hand towards himself in a taunt. Valon thrust forward. Joey soared on his armor suit’s silver wings to meet his opponent in the middle of the Seal.

            An explosion of force buffeted Rahlin, Téa, and Tristan. Rahlin watched the duelists grapple through her thinned eye. Valon’s armor crumbled off of him. Joey’s deteriorated at similar rate. The pieces covering their locked fists remained. Slowly, Valon’s dissipated, and Joey’s remained. The attack moved forward with Joey, and Valon’s back slammed against the bounds of the Seal.

            Valon’s life counter dropped to zero. His teeth were grit, and blood dribbled down from the corner of his mouth. Joey didn’t look much better. The neon green star shrunk to Valon’s form. He muttered something Rahlin couldn’t hear. Joey’s eyes widened. He staggered towards Valon.

            The Seal spit its light into the sky and vanished. Valon’s husk slumped. Joey fell to his knees. Rahlin, Téa, and Tristan joined him in solemnity. Cicadas sang. Cars roared on the distant streets.

            “Guys…” Joey shook his head. “I don’t wanna do this anymore.”

            “Why not?” Rahlin asked.

            “Why _not_? This- nobody deserves this! He’ll just be lyin’ there. Forever. I don’t get it. I don’t get how you could look into somebody’s eyes knowing what happens.”

            “Because I fully believed in what we are working towards. Valon was the same. The souls are the means to the end. Valon didn’t see you as a person. You were an obstacle.”

            “Not at the end,” Joey muttered.

            Tristan tested a few steps towards him. “Hey, man… you’re pretty busted up. Let’s get you home.”

            “I did that for you.” Joey fired the words at Rahlin with a matching glare. “I did that because you were in trouble like with Kaiba. So you have to bring her back. You gotta bring my sister _back_.”

            The silence was thicker by the millisecond. Rahlin bowed her head. She said, “Thank you all for your kindness.”

            “That’s it, huh,” Joey said. He clicked his tongue. “Shoulda figured. Whatever. I’ll always know I did the right thing.”

            He stood, stumbled, and left the courtyard with nary a glance back. Tristan, however, was clearly torn by his head whipping back and forth between the groups. Téa said, “Can you find your way home?”

            “Your concern is appreciated,” Rahlin said, “but I’ll not trouble you from here on. I’m sorry for everything I caused.”

            Tristan offered a brisk nod before chasing after his friend. Téa waited a while longer to watch Rahlin stand and take a few steps. She said, “Should we call someone about Valon?”

            “No. He’ll be handled.”

            “Rahlin?” She covered her mouth for a few moments. “ _Is_ there a way for their souls to come back?”

            The moon was a down-facing crescent. Rahlin watched its position closely. “I… I’m sorry. There are no promises I can make you. I’m not a knight who could keep them, anyway. I’m some petty creature.”

            “I heard you,” Téa said.

            “Eh?”

            “Earlier, you thought we’d miss it, but I heard.” Téa hopped to her feet and threw her bag over her shoulder. On her way out, she finished, “I heard, Rahlin. You said, ‘Believe _d_.’”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Sickly green slanted through the skylight in Yugi’s room. The pharaoh shot to his feet and sprinted down the stairs. Sobs ripped through the house. He was forced to stop in the game shop area. The Seal of Orichalcos was visible from the nearby window, but he was distracted by the scene before him.

            The mess of blonde hair crying on the glass counter could only be Rebecca Hawkins. Yugi’s grandfather patted her back. “Come now, Rebecca. If Arthur was here, he would want you to be strong like a big girl.”

            “He’s not here,” she squeaked, “and he can’t want anything!”

            “What’s happening?” the pharaoh asked.

            Rebecca lifted her head. Her blue eyes were bloodshot past her red-framed spectacles. “My grandfather went missing. They found him today, and he’s in the hospital as- as a sleeper!”

            She broke down in tears. Grandpa Muto’s eyes carried the tilt of concern, and he left his hand on her shoulder. The pharaoh was rigid. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

            “You’re supposed to say he’s not gone!” she shrieked. “If only the real Yugi were here. He’d know what to say, what to do. He’s gone because of you.”

            The pharaoh’s face twitched, and he ducked his head. Grandpa Muto scolded, “Now, now. We don’t heal by hurting others, Rebecca. You’d be foolish to think he’s not struggling, too. If you could start the stove.”

            His focus darted between the Seal in the sky and what had become his family. He nodded, buried his hands in his pockets, and walked to the kitchen.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Waves splashed against the Domino City docks. Rahlin longed for the scent of the sea to soothe her, but the overpowering smell of rotting fish filled her with dread. The lead pipe had done its job at the cost of her back pain.

            “You made it!” The streetlamps’ amber shone in his silver hair as he sprinted towards her. The closer his proximity, the more his grin lost confidence. “Is something wrong? You don’t have to be worried about being late. I wasn’t waiting for long. Though I do admit I got scared at times when rather large persons would pass… Um, not that that should concern you!”

            Shouting came from a fisherman’s boat off the nearest dock. The garbled anger had Rahlin grasping her tie. Her frown trembled. Ryo tapped the tips of his fingers together and said, “I’ve wanted to tell you all day how wonderful what you did was, and- oh. Has something happened to your usual cane?”

            Rahlin’s focus darted around. Boats ranging from dinghies to yachts were docked along the harbor. Towards the metropolitan area, her gaze locked on a silhouette climbing towards the sky. Rahlin marched towards it. Ryo followed close. “Oh, that’s a construction crane. I hear Kaiba’s building a-”

            He broke off for a shriek. Rahlin had tossed her cane away and climbed atop the machine, ignoring the dead weight attached to her. Ryo said, “S-surely that’s inadvisable!”

            One arm after the other, she scaled the metal bars of the crane. Her breaths labored and her shoulders burned. She glanced down to see Ryo pacing by the crane controls. He scrambled atop the hood, saying, “I’m not doing this because I am a delinquent, to be clear! I’m only doing this to make sure you’re alright!”

            Rahlin grinned and clambered up the bars with renewed resolve. Her eye was on the dim starlight as she ascended. The moon peeked from behind the clouds, casting light onto the red crane.

            The last handle gave her the most difficulty. She struggled to find air, and her muscles shivered. Rahlin grunted with the effort of yanking herself up. She pushed back on her palms. A shadow still ascended the crane, but she had to lean back to swallow breaths.

            A pale hand entered her vision. She clasped it and helped Ryo up top. For a minute, their heavy breathing was the only sound in the world. Rahlin let her eye wander.

            The cityscape spread out before her like a sea of neon. Tiny cars flashing their ruby taillights crawled along busy streets. People small as ants flooded crosswalks. An overhead billboard spilled pink from its blinding screen. The display scrolled to a yellow advertisement, showering the passersby with gold.

            Domino City was dimmer the further she looked from the central square. The bay was black by comparison. Though its waters captured the moon’s silver, it couldn’t match the bright screens in Domino City’s heart.

            The industrial district clustered around the base of the construction crane. The factories were dark with flat, low roofs. The boxy gray buildings were wonders when she looked to the city, which sported higher architecture wearing glass to reflect neon.

            The cloudy sky was split every now and then by a plane passing overhead. Rahlin watched its blinking red eye as it soared towards the horizon. It passed below the frown-shaped moon on its way.

            The skyline was highlighted by flashing lights atop the grandest skyscrapers. The Industrial Illusions building far to the right had a strip of blinking red lights leading to the top. A few office lights remained on in the lower floors. The largest hotel in town was on the furthest left, and a ring of crimson flashes marked its high roof. The central building had a single green light at the tip of an antennae far above any other building.

            Rahlin’s heart clenched. She knew the middlemost structure to be the DOMA headquarters. She said, “I did it. I’m here. I climbed up without any help.”

            Ryo said, “I’m a tad shocked you’re not afraid of falling again, honestly!”

            “I refuse to allow fear to dictate my actions.”

            “We’re in agreement, I suppose,” he said with a cheerful tone. “I would never count anything impossible for you.”

            The tension in Rahlin’s limbs loosened a note. She stole her gaze away from the City for her companion. The dark coat from the rainy day they first talked protected him from the brisk winds atop the crane. His jeans and sneakers were plain, but she found herself unable to look away from his shirt. The soft peach color was outstanding next to the rest of his outfit.

            He picked at the collar. Rahlin met his brown eyes. Her stare must have been obvious. “Um, I like your shirt.”

            His pleasant smile made its reappearance. “Thank you! My mother mailed it to me. She said it would go well with my complexion. I confess I have no idea what that means but it makes me feel better about wearing it all the same.”

            Rahlin giggled. “You can be sure she was right; take it from me. Are you close with your mother?”

            “Absolutely!” He poked his own cheek, and his vision drifted up in thought. “Er, not physically. She and father have faraway business often. I’ve always called when I could, though. She sent me this when I had stopped my calls for a few weeks because of- you know. Now, I hate that I worried her.”

            “What about your father?”

            “He sends postcards from wherever they are with the regular notes of how he loves me and wishes the best. He’ll sign off with a different quote from famous financial advisors every time.”

            Rahlin shifted her backside to rest in a nook where a pair of metal bars met. “It’s nice they care for you.”

            “Yes! What about your parents? Do you live with them?”

            “We didn’t exactly get along. I haven’t had contact with them in years.”

            “Oh, gosh, I’m sorry.”

            “Don’t be,” Rahlin said. “I’m at peace with it. The family member I was closest to had always been my brother, anyway. He was a scientist first and a duelist second. As time has passed, I’ve wanted more and more to follow in his footsteps.”

            “A scientist!” Ryo exclaimed. “That’s amazing! What would you create?”

            Taxis drove in circles. An airplane dipped close to the City on its descent towards Domino Airport. The scream of the jet engines couldn’t drown out Rahlin’s answer: “A time machine.”

            “Wow,” Ryo breathed. “What would you use it for?”

            Rahlin lifted her head. A cluster of clouds masked the moon. “To see my brother again. To ask him what to do. I have a big decision to make in a couple of days, and I have no idea what the correct choice is. Ranue- my brother always knew what was best.”

            “Here is what always helps me.” Ryo’s voice was softer than before. Rahlin found herself leaning closer to him. “I had a younger sister. She was a joy. We shared every secret. After she passed, I felt as though I couldn’t talk to anyone anymore. I would speak but in no depth.

            “Once I reached a point where I thought I might explode, I wrote Amane a letter. Nothing special, just the usual of what we would tell each other in confidence. It was wet by plenty of tears by the end, obviously, but I felt so much freer afterward. Nowadays, I’ll do it every once in a while. My…”

            His voice shook. “My good-by letter was to her. Um, you might try it. Talking to him in some way could help your decision. I’m here to talk, too, but I understand if you don’t want to explain.”

            A helicopter skimmed a cloud and landed on the Industrial Illusions roof. The rise of the moon was reaching the apex of its arc. Rahlin said, “Ryo.”

            “Yes?”

            A hint of nervousness was shown through his fingertips pressed together. Rahlin dispelled it with her smile. “Thank you, really. That’s, ah, ‘wonderful’ advice. I think I’ll try it and see how I feel.”

            He laughed a little. “Until you pointed it out, I hadn’t realized how much I used the word. Now it’s starting to bother me how it’s the first thing that comes to mind. I’m having to expand my vocabulary because of you.”

            “Reading a book must be so difficult.”

            “I read books!”

            A corner of Rahlin’s mouth lifted. “It’s amazing how _that’s_ what manages to get under your skin.”

            “I’m partial to my stories. Speaking of which, when will you save me from the cliff by finishing yours?”

            “…Some other time. Could I ask you a question?”

            “Of course.”

            A wind passed them that had Ryo clutching his coat closer to him. Rahlin was stoic. Her long, white locks were tossed over her shoulders. She said, “Do you think there’s good in everyone?”

            Their gazes locked. Ryo reached for a deck holster attached to his belt, flipped it open, and sifted through the stack of trading cards. He removed a single spell card and passed it into Rahlin’s hands. The sparkling image displayed a woman cradling her own heart in her palms. Half of her emitted gentle light from the feathery wing of an angel. The other half exhumed a dark haze, and the wing was like a demon’s.

            “Change of Heart is my favorite card,” Ryo said. “It shows how there are two sides to every story. Thanks to that perspective, I try to look for the deeper reasons behind someone’s actions. Though it’s painful to admit, there _are_ irredeemable people out there. Ignoring that less than one percent or so, I assume everyone I meet is capable of, well, that.”

            He nodded towards the card he had handed her. A shaft of moonlight snuck between the cloud cover, illuminating the glittering rainbow foil on the card’s art. Rahlin murmured, “Incredible. Um, I mean, it’s beautiful, and I’d never thought of it that way…”

            “Keep it.”

            Rahlin blinked. “You just said it was your favorite.”

            “Yes, and if a friend is in need of its reminder, I am more than happy to lend it to you.” To show how serious he was, he returned his deck to his holster. Rahlin scanned the card again.

            “I didn’t think…” Her throat was dry all of a sudden. She cleared it and tugged her collar away from her neck. “Once again, you prove a dark day capable of having a bright end.”

            His smile upturned his eyes. “You have no need to feel ashamed! Your duel was one for the century! When you-”

            Ryo froze. His hand had landed over Rahlin’s. He snatched it back and placed it a good distance away. “Whoops! S-sorry!”

            Another wind passed by, and Rahlin thought for a beat on how it wasn’t as cold as the last. She placed her hand over his. A streak of pink highlighted his cheeks. Rahlin smiled, watched the Domino City lights, and said, “Oops.”

            She sat for a while longer, the minor touch battling all the chill, and viewed the dark world below their sky in a giddy sort of silence.


	12. Overthrowing Eden

            The apartment door squealed open. Rahlin flicked the lights on. A sparkle on the table caught her eye. The cane Dartz had gifted and stolen away rested on top of a note. In lovely handwriting, Mai had written that Dartz had apologized, left the cane, and asked for Rahlin to visit him the next evening at eight p.m.

            As she limped about the apartment, Rahlin chose to use her gift from Tristan instead despite the pain in her back. She clambered onto a seat at the bar in the kitchen after digging in drawers.

            A pen rolled over the pad of papers. She nibbled on the cap. Rahlin pressed the inky tip onto the first, fresh sheet.

            _“Dear Ranue,”_

            Rahlin shook her head, crumpled the sheet, and tossed it aside. If he was here, he’d ask why it was so stuffy and formal. His note had been different. Rahlin nodded and set to the next blank page.

            _“Hey Ranue,”_

            Better, she thought. The words flowed freely. She made the mistake of reading the last sentence she had written. The vocabulary came off as though Rahlin had addressed the letter to a queen.

            The paper crushed under her grip. She set the ball aside. What had her nervous? It wasn’t as though anyone would read the words. The itch, then, must have been her disingenuousness. Her true feelings weren’t oozing from the paragraphs.

            She licked her dry lips and tapped the pen against her temple. Perhaps she hadn’t been true enough. Perhaps, when push came to shove, the truth was…

            A shiver rattled her. She wondered if Ryo had this hard of a time. She hoped not and wouldn’t wish the hell upon anyone.

            Thirteen crumpled sheets later, Rahlin reached satisfaction in a draft. Elegant, Mai’s cat, batted the balls of paper around the kitchen floor. Rahlin folded her letter longways twice and wrote her brother’s name on top.

            Gathering the failed versions that had fallen to the floor spiked pain in her skull and spine. She handled them with shaking hands. Elegant was not any help. She briefly considered giving up and conjured excuses related to her disability.

            No; it was the right thing to do, so she had to do it.

            She tossed the trash and collapsed on the couch. Sleep came easy. The twitching of her nose awoke her. Rahlin rubbed at her aching head as she arose. A hot cup of tea steamed on the table.

            The apartment door shut. Rahlin leapt off the couch. She crawled to the door and used the handle to lift herself. When she swung the door open, however, the hallway was empty. Mai had already left.

            Rahlin leaned her back against the door and sank to the floor. The muted television flicked through today’s matchups: Mai versus Joey and Kaiba versus Alister. Alister had knocked Rafael into the loser’s bracket on purpose. He would have his second chance to take the prince of Egypt’s soul after the meeting tomorrow.

            Rahlin dragged herself back to the couch and picked up the tea. Her cane and the gifted lead pipe lay as parallels on the table. Apprehension defined her movements as she reached for one.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

             Ryo Bakura sprinted through the streets. He hoped his muttered apologies were enough for whomever he happened to bump into and also hoped he would not linger in anyone’s mind.

            A bell rang over the café door upon his arrival. All eyes in the establishment turned to him. He watched the loose knots of his shoelaces and prayed for them to ignore him as he walked on.

            A single person occupied the table furthest back. Rahlin scribbled into a small, black journal. Ryo went to speak and hesitated. Despite the commotion he caused, she hadn’t noticed his presence. By the swift movement of her pen-wielding hand from line to line to line, the journal had her captured. Curiosity led his mind down the trails of what she could be writing, and one path lined with flowers wondered if it was related to him.

            The pen paused. Her stare drifted upwards in thought and landed on him. Ryo gazed back. The last time they met in this spot, the weather was dark and plagued by storms. Today, sunshine slanted through the window and swirled in her sky-blue iris.

            “Hello, Ryo.”

            Her words stunned him into realizing he’d stared for far too long. “H-hello! I apologize for being late!”

            “Late? Don’t be ridiculous. I appreciate you coming, period. I realized after I’d asked that my request would likely force you to choose between me and your friends what with the match today.”

            “No, actually,” he said. “Tickets were hard to come by, and it’s not as though I had planned on attending in time to plan ahead.”

            His head ducked because he feared her inevitably despondent reaction. In a quiet voice, she said, “Please sit with me.”

            The chair whined in its movement backwards. When Ryo sat, he observed the spread of the table. Her half-full cup contained black tea. Her cane separated his half of the tabletop. Ryo said, “Oh! You’re still using that pipe. Have you not located your cane?”

            Rahlin observed the grimy item with kind consideration. “Yes, I have found it. Say, Ryo. Could you assist me with something?”

            His chair squeaked forward. “Of course! What do you need?”

            Her mouth opened and closed again. “Er, though I can speak fluently, I do not know how to write in your language. I was wondering if you could write some basic letters, sounds, and words for me to keep around for reference.”

            Ryo smiled and scooted his chair to her side of the table. Rahlin flicked the page to a clean one, placed the journal on the table, and passed him the pen. The questions took long for her to form. He supposed she must have been embarrassed. His patience was hardly tried.

            A few other visitors demanded the volume for the telly increase. The cashier left her post and raised the remote. Seto Kaiba’s laugh boomed from the system. “Is your toy supposed to scare me?”

            The camera panned over Kaiba and Alister’s duel. The “toy” Kaiba referred to must have been Alister’s monstrous jet in the sky. The zoom-in of Alister’s face showed his utter frustration, which seemed to be the norm for duelists facing Kaiba.

            Alister screamed, “You heard the truth about my brother, and you still don’t care! You’ve likely forgotten what you did to Rahlin, too! I’m using this duel to remind you of what you’ve done in your last moments!”

            “Goodness,” Ryo murmured, “he is angry.”

            “He isn’t like that. Not really.”

            “What’s he like, really?”

            Her finger traced the uppercase “A” he had written. “Cheery, upbeat, and kind. The DOMA members have been manipulated into becoming things they are not.”

            The question weighed down his tongue. He mustered all his courage to ask it: “Does that include you?”

            Rahlin grasped her makeshift cane, looked Ryo in the eye, and said, “I know exactly what I’m doing.”

            “In that case,” he said with a smile, “I trust you.”

            Shock crossed her for a moment and relaxed in the next instant. On the screen, Kaiba had used that special dragon card of his – Critias. Kaiba dealt the finishing blow to Alister. The loss of his opponent’s soul left no visible emotional scars.

            Ryo said, “Even though he initiated the duel, I still feel for him.”

            “The curse of empathy,” Rahlin mused. The telly displayed Mai Valentine strutting into the arena. Joey Wheeler entered from the opposite side. “Hey, Ryo. There was a phrase I was hoping you could teach me.”

            “What is it?”

            She scratched at the page despite nothing staining it. “Is there… some way to express gratitude? Something more sentimental than a simple ‘thank you?’”

            His head lolled back and forth as he thought. He scribbled an appropriate string of words. “How about this one?”

            A smile graced her face. Rahlin rested her cheek upon her fist. Her thick, white bangs fell over her eyepatch. “Divine.”

            “I activate the Seal of Orichalcos!” Mai shouted. A dash of crimson corrupted her irises, and the green circle appeared on her forehead. Rahlin watched the white clouds outside the window as though she could not face the duel.

            “You have nice handwriting.”

            Ryo said, “E-excuse me?”

            “Your handwriting,” Rahlin repeated. “You might not notice if I wrote in my language, but mine is poor.”

            “There’s always room to improve!” he said. “Mine was barely legible until I took up calligraphy. My parents claimed they had trouble reading my letters, so I had no choice. I’ve always enjoyed art. By choosing calligraphy, the chore turned into a fun challenge!”

            “Art? As in drawing?” she asked. To answer, Ryo borrowed her pen and drew a shape on a napkin. He hesitated before passing it to her. He ducked his head to allow his silver bangs to block out his surroundings and slid the napkin to her. “Hm? What is this?”

            Ryo cracked open his shut eyes to peek at Rahlin’s bemused expression, which broke him out of his bashfulness. “It’s, erm, a heart.”

            Her lips pursed. “I hope you don’t take this too harshly, but it looks nothing like the hearts I have seen.”

            “…It’s not meant to be an actual-” He shut his mouth, grabbed the napkin, and scribbled a new picture. The new rendition showed the muscle of the heart with veins and arteries thrown in for good measure. The simpler, modern heart shape rested in the corner above the central piece.

            “Oh. Wow. That is impressive – like it’s about to start pumping.”

            The visual was a tad morbid, but he sort of expected it from her by now. “Thank you!”

            Her gloved finger dragged the napkin towards her. The rapid folding of her fingers requested the pen without the use for words. He capped it and placed the item in her palm. Rahlin caught the cap with her teeth and popped the pen away. She mumbled past it, “’M gnna wrte smthn fr ya.”

            He covered his mouth with his hand to mask his giggle. “Wonderful.”

            The use of the word sprung her grin. The pen cap hung from the corner of her lips like a cigarette. Her arm moved to press the ink to the napkin. The curved nature of the letters Rahlin drew came out squiggly. She set down the pen and retrieved the cap from her mouth. Scarlet flushed her cheeks.

            “I don’t do the elegance of the language nor the words justice.”

            Writing in front of someone else must’ve made her awfully self-conscious, Ryo figured. He brightened and said, “It’s absolutely lovely.”

            The crinkling of her eye was plain heartwarming. Rahlin passed the napkin to Ryo. “You should keep this.”

            Ryo carefully folded the napkin on its half and tucked it into his shirt’s pocket. Rahlin said, “You may not want to do it like that. It’ll stand out.”

            “That’s perfectly fine,” he said without taking his stare off her.

            Rahlin’s focus dropped, and she chewed her lower lip. “Could I ask you something else?”

            “Sure!”

            “I have an important meeting tomorrow, and I won’t have time for anything else. I’m sorry for not being able to meet. It would mean a lot to me, though, if we could spend time together the day after. There’s somewhere I would love to take you.”

            Ryo clasped his hands. “I’d love to join you! Being summer vacation, my schedule is rather free.”

            The spurt of a grand, green light in the sky stole all attention. Rahlin’s hand slapped on the table as she redirected her gaze towards the television. The duel had reached its conclusion.

            Joey’s still body collapsed in Mai’s arms. Ryo’s hands moved automatically to cover his mouth. To see energetic, cheerful Joey so quiet and still was nothing short of heartrending. Curiously, Mai’s reaction matched Ryo’s. He swore the stories painted DOMA Mai as heartless. Had she changed again?

            “I’m sorry,” Rahlin said. “I have to go.”

            “I… I do, too.”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            The apartment door clicked its locks into place behind Rahlin. She called out, “Hello?”

            “Go away!” shouted Mai’s strained voice from her room.

            “I’m… not trying to bug you, but I wanted you to know I’ll be out here if you need anything.”

            Silence. Rahlin took the opportunity to flip through the new notes in her journal. Ryo’s written words piqued jealousy and admiration in equal measures. The expression of gratitude he had formulated lay next to a blank page.

            She attempted to copy the words herself. The wobbly letters were illegible. Rahlin ripped out the page and tried on the next. Her lowercase “E” kept coming out backwards. Honestly, she was dumbfounded at her own incompetence. Her mouth twitched down as she tore the paper for a third attempt.

            Five failures later, she retrieved the note she’d written the night before. She placed the final touches on it rather than work in English. At least her words in her language were readable.

            By the time Rahlin finished, the clock read seven thirty p. m. She exchanged the pipe for the cane her patron had passed to her after her accident. On the way out, Rahlin asked, “Would you like for me to get anything for you?”

            No response. She gave it a minute before exiting. The last of the sun cast lavender in the west towards navy in the east. Lit rectangles in the skyscrapers she passed offered glimpses into tired faces and packed desks.

            Rahlin paused atop an overpass. On the section of glass in front of her, an office window had sticky notes arranged in the form of a smiley face. Rahlin shared the smile as she went on her way.

            The closer she drew to the DOMA building, the thicker the crowds became. A collection of standing folks drew her curiosity. They surrounded a man spinning on the ground beside his boombox. His dance made her question whether the man was human or not. His impressive leaps from his hands left her attempting to clap for him despite her one hand forced to hold her cane.

            The crowd noticed, and once ripples of her presence disturbed them, Rahlin took her leave. Full dark captured the sky past DOMA’s blinking green lights. The reception was empty, but it was no issue. Rahlin owned a keycard allowing access to the elevator and top floor.

            Her nerves rose with the elevator. Dartz had likely called her for another scolding, but she had no choice but to visit. Rahlin could not defy her patron. The _ding_ of the elevator was like a knife to her gut.

            He awaited in his typical spot at the head of the boardroom. An oblong, black case rested upon the table. He stood upon Rahlin’s entrance, grabbed the box handle, and said, “Follow, my child.”

            Dartz took the side exit from the acrylic enclosure. The end of the outer hallway led to an elevator, which was less serviceable than the primary one. The door’s closing left the pair in darkness. Faint luminescence flickered on, and the elevator rumbled upwards.

            The opening of the doors left harsh winds buffeting her suit coat. She protected her eye with the crook of her elbow. They appeared to have risen to the DOMA rooftop. Dartz strode past without hesitance. Her steps could not equal his surety. He crossed the helicopter pad to stand at the railing overlooking Domino City. The sight didn’t have the same magic the second time, especially with the company she now shared.

            Dartz laid the oblong box on the ground and said, “Do you recall how we met?”

            The memory of the darkest day of her life could never disappear. He nodded as though hearing her thoughts. Rahlin said, “You claimed you could hear my emotions ‘from your realm.’ What did that mean?”

            “Monsters like us have their quirks. I was birthed from the surf of the sea with the ability to hear the emotions of those nearby. The stronger the feeling, the louder the sensation to my mind.

            “The suffering I shared with all walks of life became too heavy a burden. I created a pocket dimension meant to be a prison. Still the horrid manifestations of the pain mankind creates permeated my realm. Yours was the greatest atrocity and what spurned the Great Leviathan’s design.”

            “What was it you heard?”

            The wrinkles flanking his eyes adjusted for his sympathetic frown. “The everlasting sting of your brother’s betrayal and the drowning wail of your past lover murdering your innocent feline companion.”

            Rahlin dropped her cane to cross her arms over the railing. The courtyard at the center of the financial district contained jets in the ground to spurt water. Children raced through the spurts and laughed.

            “You chose me to create the Seal of Orichalcos and become a Soul Reaper because you pitied me,” she said.

            “I cannot deny I pitied you. However, I had to choose you for different reasons. You deserve your vengeance for the scars the humans gave you, and you are capable of astounding destruction thanks to your connection with the Blue-Eyes Dragons.”

            Rahlin shook her head. “I’m not connected to them. My sister is. She can hear Shining Dragon’s voice. When I summoned him, the silence of my thoughts never broke.”

            “You do have a connection, because your summoning of them conjures the monsters themselves from the other realm. They are not mere holograms nor mere cards. Stop speaking as though the spark of dragonfire in your soul has doused, Rahlin. You have grown far too complacent.”

            Her hand moved to her right leg. The touch wasn’t felt. If her choice was between complacency or defiance, could she say she had the autonomy to be defiant? With the Shining Dragon at her back, she had stated she could defy gods and meant every word.

            But beside her patron, she had to quell her emotions. “It’s difficult to have confidence knowing I’m the girl who soiled paradise.”

            “Please,” he spat. “Atlantis soiled itself. Mankind carves its own destruction through the suffering it creates. You did not destroy a paradise. You overthrew an Eden unaware of its sinful roots.”

            “Speaking of that Eden,” Rahlin said, “how is my father?”

            “The true Dartz Orichalcum went mad long ago. He has not attempted to reclaim his body for centuries. An eternity in solitude has not treated him kindly.”

            Rahlin glowered at the cars barely stopping for a flashing red light. “Serves him right.”

            “You understand we must pass judgement on them all,” her patron said. “The same satisfaction you feel now can be made billionfold. I understand we’ve had our difference in methods and been at odds because of your care for promises. We still desire the same end.”

            The false Dartz passed her the odd box. Rahlin stood to accept it. He said, “This is my show of goodwill to accompany my apology. I want to see you achieve your dreams, my child. We are both fishes out of water in this realm. Let’s work together and accomplish the same heights we did before you were forced to destroy the Great Leviathan the first time. This time around, no one shall hold us back.”

            Rahlin dipped her head as low as possible. Her left leg shook with the effort. “As you wish, my patron.”

            A hand rested on her head. She lifted her gaze to match her patron’s multicolored stare. His other hand clenched a fresh, white eyepatch. “I will see justice delivered for every ounce of suffering we have shared. They do not deserve their existence for the hurt they generate.”

            A corner of her mouth jolted down. Her patron nodded and moved the new eyepatch to her hand. He said, “Put your fury to proper use and gather souls to make our ideal world reality. Take care of yourself, too, Rahlin. You may not think yourself valuable, but I know the truth. We aren’t here to make sacrifices. We’re finding our best lives. It’s healthy to replace the eyepatch every so often.”

            “Thank you,” she murmured.

            “Enjoy the gift,” he said. “We’ll meet again soon. Continue your work, but do not push yourself as hard as last time. We’re close.”

            “But not close enough.”

            He smiled. “There is the dedication I am accustomed to. Farewell, my child.”

            She dipped her head again before taking her leave. Her muscles burned the further she went due to the heavy object in the box and the regular struggle of using her cane. She passed by the financial district’s water jets. The bursts had stopped, and the families had dispersed. Her shoulders slumped further.

            Rahlin dropped the box outside the apartment and struggled to open the door. The place was dark. She dragged the box inside and opted to light a candle rather than turn on the lights. Mai likely needed her rest.

            The next logical course of action was to check the gift. Rahlin placed the curved case on the kitchen bar. Two silver clasps kept the box shut. She flicked them open and lifted the top. A gentle gasp escaped her.

            Candlelight flickered in the pearl reflection of a white violin within the case. Rahlin pulled herself into the bar’s high-legged chair. She bit her knuckle as the fresh eyepatch next to the case caught her eye.

            She yanked off her current patch and tossed it towards the trash can. Her hand made it halfway towards the new one before the white violin’s matching bow attracted her fingers as though magnetism was at play.

            Rahlin fitted the instrument beneath her chin and drew the bow across the strings. Her appropriate pressure at the end produced a perfect note, meaning the violin had no need to be tuned. The continuation of the song inspired her smile. Leaving behind this hobby had left a hole she now felt.

            The bedroom door creaked open. Mai rubbed at her puffy eyes. “What are you-”

            Rahlin lowered the violin and met Mai’s eyes. Rahlin wondered why Mai had gone pale as a ghost.

            Then she remembered she had left her eyepatch off.

            Rahlin screamed, “No, don’t look!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh shoot! I missed the update day! Sorry! D:


	13. The Other Eye

            “No, don’t look!”

            Mai couldn’t heed Rahlin’s warning. Her face contorted as she viewed the right half of Rahlin’s face. Mai’s hands flew to cover her own mouth. Where Rahlin’s other eye should have been, a swath of black replaced the skin as though the portion of her face had been ripped out and a hole to nihility remained.

            The infinite blackness spurned a memory in Mai: the visual all but matched Marik the moments he fed his life points to a god and merged with it. She was unable to look away from the darkness. Black crept onto the corners of her eyesight and encroached upon the center.

            Her eyes blanked as the marred eye swept her consciousness into a vision.

 

* * *

 

 ༼ **The Splashing Night Sky of the Second World** ༽

 

* * *

 

            The grass and dirt beneath my bare toes may have been the same as the home I knew, but this place would take getting used to. The night sky above moved in waves crashing into each other. Clusters of stars served as seafoam. The splashes were audible from my place on the surface.

            The world must not have had a moon. I wondered if I would come to miss it or if I would forget in time. Time had come to be the only thing I had left.

            Slithering stole my attention away from the seasky. Black twisted through the grass and surrounded me. The serpentine monster was one I recognized. I whispered, “Patron?”

            The passing wind carried salt like a sea breeze. A hiss joined the chorus of splashes. The snake’s head lifted. Its voice accentuated the “S” sounds. “Greetings, my child. What a shame for us to be banished from our own world.”

            “A shame indeed, though I suppose I could grow to call this place ‘home’ in time.”

            “Why should you when you have other options?”

            I peered at the serpent’s gleaming, turquoise eye. “What are you suggesting?”

            “I retained the body of the King, my child,” he explained. “Perhaps you are trapped here, but I am not. I used the last of the soul energy retained to visit you, my child. Your promise is fulfilled, meaning you can once again fight for humanity’s downfall. You can join me. I will collect enough souls on the surface and prepare a vessel like mine. When the time comes, I can bring you to the other realm.”

            Time. The thought of the simple dimension had come to add weight to my slumped shoulders. A glorious sound rung across the land. My gaze stole away from my patron to observe a stone tower in the distance.

            Clashing starfoam illuminated the heights of the bell tower. Through the windows ringing the top, the shadow of the bell swung back and forth. The gonging notes calmed my aching heart.

            I placed my flat hand over my chest. There was only one right decision, which was my honor to fulfill and my duty to face. I asked, “How long will it take?”

            “For me to free you?” my patron said. “I cannot say for sure. It could be hundreds or thousands of years.”

            A shaky breath passed my lips. “You’ve been at this immortality thing for a long time, right? It’s still my first day. Does your memory hold up? I can hardly remember the details of my day-to-day life ten years ago. How can I remember this conversation for thousands of years to come?”

            “Peace be,” my patron stated. “I will convince you again if necessary.”

            “B-but what if…” My brows pushed inward. “What if I forget my mission? What if I can’t remember why I- why humanity should be erased?”

            “Forget? How could you? The reminders are entrenched within your skin, my child. You cannot forget the scars your ‘friends’ passed as their judgement. A glance at yourself will always remind you of the true nature of humans if your consistent nightmares do not. On that subject…”

            The slithering halted. A rattle sounded in front of me, and a hiss from behind tingled my ears. A whisper: “The stealing of your innocence will haunt you for eternity.”

            A black hole opened in my chest. The muscles of my face quivered uncontrollably. Sweat dripped from my jaw. My patron eyed me. “Hold onto those desolate emotions, my child. Keep them until the day I return. To forget would be the same as forgiving him, but we will not allow that, my child. We will take our vengeance – no matter how many centuries are required.”

            I answered with a stern nod. If physical reminders were the requirements to holding onto goals and dreams for thousands of years, I knew exactly where to go. I would visit them every day if that’s what it took.

            My patron’s scaly smile allowed his fang to reflect starfoam. “I feel your determination, my child. Though you were born from her, I know you are different. Do you have a name of your own?”

            “She deemed me ‘Rahlin.’”

            “Rahlin Orichalcum,” my patron stated. “In due time, we will meet again.”

            “In due time,” I responded.

            My patron whisked away. The moment he left, I dipped my chin. A shadow fell upon my face from my bangs. A smile played at my lips. He may have been a monster with the ability to read my feelings, but he could only guess at the root of them.

            He had nary an inkling of my true intentions.

* * *

 

༼ **The Flickering Candlelight of the True Realm** ༽

 

* * *

 

            Mai crumpled to the carpet. “What the hell was that? What the hell are _you_? I thought- I swore you were just some kid, but you’re no different from Marik and his Shadow Games!”

            “Calm down, please.” Rahlin’s voice had the nerve to be soft. Why was she pretending? Mai couldn’t believe she’d homed a damned demon. Rafael was right. Rahlin asked, “Who’s Marik? What did you see?”

            The cane hit the floor. Rahlin lowered herself to her knees with obvious struggle. She reached for Mai’s shoulder, but Mai shied away. “Stay back. Stay back! I won’t lose and go to the Shadow Realm again!”

            “The what?”

            “I should’ve listened to Rafael,” Mai said. Her skittering words nearly tumbled over each other. "You’re not some innocent kid. That _thing_ on your face – you’re not even human!”

            Rahlin pushed herself back so her thighs rested on her ankles. In her soft voice, she explained, “That’s right. I’m not innocent. I’ve done some horrible things. I’m not human. Your world is only accessible to me because my patron poured my spirit into a dead human girl’s skin once her soul left it. The human body is entirely a masquerade.

            “I’m one hundred percent Duel Monster. Before coming here, I lived in my realm for thousands of years. You were right about me being a kid, though. The instant I stepped foot in this realm, I went back to being like I was when I was banished: some stupid seventeen-year-old.

            “I wish I was different. If I had retained my wisdom and my age, I probably wouldn’t have made as many mistakes and caused as much suffering as I have. I probably would know what else to say right now other than telling you the truth.”

            Mai stammered, “Th-the things on the cards? They’re real?”

            “Every one,” Rahlin stated. “We exist in a realm that mirrors yours, but the two are on different planes. Once upon a time, the monsters and humans shared the world. That’s why you still see their influences upon your realm, like the card game.”

            “Is…” Mai gulped. “Is the monster realm the Shadow Realm?”

            “No, I don’t believe so. It’s called the Spirit World. I’ve never heard of any Shadow Realm, nor do I know of the Marik person you keep referencing.”

            Could she believe what Rahlin said? Mai considered the vision she had been tossed to, which was from Rahlin’s point of view. “What did I see when I looked at your other eye?”

            “A curse,” she mumbled, her head lowering. “My patron placed it upon me as a reminder. This human body originally belonged to my sister, who slayed the Great Leviathan. My patron attempted to have the Great Leviathan flee into the Spirit World to patch it up. Instead, I killed the engine a second time – the Great Leviathan, I mean. It has no sentience, merely following orders, so I refer to it as a machine.”

            “That thing is supposed to get rid of humanity,” Mai said, “which is what you’ve been working towards all this time. You had it summoned once upon a time but _killed it_?”

            “Yes. Personally, I wanted to see it erase humanity. My brother passed away, and his dying wish was for it to die. I could never deny a promise to the person I loved the most. To do so would be the highest dishonor. I destroyed the Great Leviathan for him.

            “My patron would never let me forget my mistake and how furious it made him, so he left me without my eye. In this body’s first life, the Great Leviathan’s acidic blood burned the eye away. My patron could have fixed it. The hole is his spite. He claimed not everything could be restored. I didn’t miss the subtext: he hasn’t forgiven me.

            “The hole carries an additional curse. Anyone who sees it witnesses a piece of my past or future. Rafael saw something from my future, and it terrified him into never trusting me. I know you saw my past. I have no idea what it could have been.”

            The air conditioning unit stuttered on. Cool air clung to Mai’s sweaty skin. Was she seriously supposed to believe a world of Duel Monsters existed, and the kid was a thousands-year-old card? She couldn’t deny the sense of reality within the vision, though. “I saw a sky like the sea at night and a ringing bell tower.”

            Rahlin’s eye lit up like on her first day when she saw the Blue-Eyes Toon plushie. “Yes, that’s my world! The stars are the seafoam and always moving unlike here. I will always mistake planes for stars here.”

            “You were talking to a big snake, and the snake talked back. You talked about your resurrection – about now, I guess.”

            “That was the day we made our deal,” she mumbled. “The serpent is my patron. You call him Dartz.”

            “That _thing_?”

            Rahlin nodded as though everything happening was perfectly reasonable. Mai couldn’t stop her face from twitching. Rahlin said, “Like me, he wears a human’s skin. He didn’t choose a dead person, though. He cursed himself into the body of Dartz Orichalcum, the ancient king of Atlantis, and made himself immortal.”

            “Are you immortal, too?”

            “No. I was the one fueling my patron’s possession of Dartz Orichalcum, and it required the reaping of more souls than I care to admit. My patron expended enough soul power bringing me from the Spirit World and animating a dead body. There wasn’t enough left over to also make me immortal, not that I would want it, anyway. Being pure Duel Monster means being immortal, and I recall it being boring and miserable, though my misery came from other sources.”

            A lock of white hair wound around Rahlin’s finger. “I wonder, though, what dying in my current state would leave me as. Do I go back to living as my Spirit World self, or would I be gone forever?”

            “Spirit World,” Mai repeated. “Spirit World, not Shadow Realm. But you’re still evil. You want to kill every human on the planet.”

            “Which is why I said I’m not innocent.”

            “You said… you called him Dartz Orichalcum. He’s your father? You cursed your own father for eternity?”

            She tugged her collar. “He was not a very good father.”

            Candlelight flickered. The black of Rahlin’s suit appeared darker than usual. Mai buried her head in her hands. “You’re a monster. Rahlin’s a monster who came to our world to kill everyone. You’ve planned it for thousands of years, but you – you made me tea on your first night here.”

            “My patron told me to ‘get to know’ the DOMA members.”

            “But you saved Joey’s soul. You forfeited against Yugi, and you gave him back the god cards. You’re here to… you’re trying to _comfort_ me. What’s the point to you if we all die in the end?”

            Rahlin grasped her tie. “Er, in tense situations, I default to what comes natural.”

            “Natural to you is helping people?”

            Her grip tightened, and her lip trembled. After a shaky breath, her voice retained steadiness. “My natural empathy is what made me such an easy target to the worst humans in the first place. I know evil. What I’m doing and what I’m trying to do aren’t.”

            Mai thought back to the visions and the horrifying events the big snake had referenced. “Whatever happened to you, I want to apologize. I’ve gone through something similar. Marik is the textbook definition of evil. He played with people like a lion with his prey. He set up a duel where the destruction of a monster meant the loss of memories relating to a loved one. I- I thought I’d be fine. I’m an independent gal. I don’t need anyone.

            “As the duel went on, though, the holes created this emptiness inside. I knew people were missing, but how could I know who? There were people cheering for me on the sidelines, but their faces were blank like mannequins. I’d never felt so alone in the world. I was fine being alone before because I never knew what it was like to have friends. I never even got to know my parents before they died.

            “Joey and his friends changed all that. There was something about winning with them at your back, something fulfilling about making them smile I’d never had before. At the end of Marik’s duel, that disappeared. Nothing was fulfilling, so what was the point of existing? I couldn’t win. I couldn’t even put up a fight.

            “The final stipulation of a Shadow Game is that the loser is sent to the Shadow Realm. I was trapped inside an hourglass with sand slowly suffocating me, but that wasn’t the worst part. Marik left me floating above an island with all those people I called friends, and he gave me back my memories. I watched them having fun in the sun without worry or care for me. They’d forgotten me. I didn’t matter, just like I knew all along.”

            Rahlin’s mouth open the slightest bit as she leaned in. “How did you survive?”

            “They saved me,” Mai said. She didn’t share the relief in Rahlin’s sagging shoulders. “Yugi defeated Marik, which freed me before the sand filled the hourglass. It should have been a happy ending.”

            “Should?”

            “I never got mine,” Mai sighed. “We left each other with promises of seeing each other again, but it never happened. What I saw in the Shadow Realm was the truth. I’m a weak, powerless loser nobody with no friends. I could win duels but the fulfillment was gone. I tried to call and no one ever picked up. I texted to no response. They went back to living their lives and didn’t care if I was a part of them or not.

            “That’s when I met Dartz. He promised power and fulfillment again, and he followed through. The feeling of using the Seal is unmatchable. I had to prove it to Joey that I didn’t need anyone like they claimed, and their lies of friendship poisoned the happiness I had before.”

            “And you did.”

            Mai’s fingers dug into her own arms. “But…”

            “But?”

            “During the duel, he said- he said he thought he was supposed to give me space. He said he didn’t know anything because he was an idiot like always, but one thing was for sure. He said he…”

            Mai choked on the words. “He loves me. He loves me, and all this time I could’ve spent time with him. It’s too late. I love him and he’s gone forever!”

            Tears spilled from the corners of her eyes. Warm hands caught hers. She gaped at Rahlin, who wore a simple smile. Rahlin said, “It’s okay. Everything will be okay, because he can come back.”

            “What the hell are you talking about?” Mai shouted. “Is giving out false hope part of the cruelty you enjoy? His soul’s gone for whatever monster you’re creating!”

            Her harsh realities did nothing to Rahlin’s smile. “Yes, but there is one way. Joey had Hermos, right? So there’s a way.”

            “What does that dumb dragon card have to do with Joey’s soul?”

            “I would not call Hermos dumb if I were you,” Rahlin scolded. “There is something you should know about my patron. He targets suffering creatures in delicate times and kicks them while they’re down. That’s what a mentor of mine warned me when my patron offered to make me a Soul Reaper. He said I was pitiful and had fallen prey to wicked manipulation because of it. Rafael, Valon, Alister, you, and I – we’re not okay people, and my patron weaponized that.”

            Not okay, Mai thought. She’d always considered herself well-adjusted despite her circumstances. How could she fall for such a simple trap? She should have known better. Power may have once been a desire, but her adventures taught her of the brighter sides to life.

            Mai watched Rahlin’s hands holding her own. “You’re okay with him using you?”

            “We do want the same things, so it doesn’t bother me.”

            “If that’s true, the end of the vision makes no sense,” Mai said. “You acted as though you were hiding something from Dartz – something unrelated to ending humanity.”

            The kid’s hands slacked. “Well, um, there is a second goal I came to this world to accomplish.”

            “Which is?”

            “I can’t tell you,” Rahlin said. “S-sorry. Um, can I make you some tea?”

            Mai slouched. “Nah. I wish I could sleep. Now my mind’s running a million miles an hour because of these new mysteries. A second world. Joey coming back. You – all of you, really.”

            “Sorry again. I know it’s a lot to take in. Can I do anything for you? I just hate seeing you like this. It seems so not you. Um, not that you _shouldn’t_ feel that way, just-”

            “I _get_ it,” Mai groaned. “Yeesh. You’re still the same old kid.”

            Rahlin laughed a little. “I’m glad you think so.”

            Mai pushed herself up. “Play that song again. It’s lovely.”

            “Okay, but…” She glanced to the violin case on the high bar. “C-could you help me up?”

            Mai’s smile cracked through layers she swore would remain unbreakable. Rahlin clasped her extended arm and was forced to lean on her shoulder afterward. Mai helped Rahlin to her chair without complaint.

            The gentle tones of her violin soothed Mai as much as Rahlin’s promises.

            He could come back.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Branches waved in the wind. The pharaoh gazed up and recalled his last day with his partner, when lingering rain dripped from the leaves. He rolled a green apple from the tree in his hands. How times changed. Sunshine spilled through the branches, and he felt it should not.

            Families played in the park. A father held up his toddler’s arms as the boy stepped on wobbly legs. A pair of teenage girls glared in the pharaoh’s direction, whispered, and laughed. A boy half their age hesitated to approach the pharaoh. The boy spotted something to the pharaoh’s left and bolted.

            The pharaoh glanced towards whatever had spooked the child. He shot to his feet. The white-haired woman in the suit, Rahlin, balanced a stacked pair of pies in her flat hand. Her other relied on her cane. She carried packs of plasticware in her mouth.

            He took the small pies from her and said, “You came all this way like that?”

            She took the packs in her hand. “If I don’t have enough hands, what else am I supposed to do? Hello to you, too, by the way.”

            “Hello,” he murmured.

            Rahlin ripped open the plastic and handed him a fork. “I hope you like peach. It’s their recommendation. Unless you prefer blueberry, in which case, we can swap.”

            The pharaoh eyed the miniature pies. “Why?”

            “Well, I don’t mind so much either way. Pie is always d-”

            “No, I’m asking why you did this.”

            Rahlin collapsed into a sitting position beside him. He twitched towards her the few milliseconds she appeared to almost fall. That must have been her only reliable method of sitting. “You looked so sad when I passed by earlier, so I made an additional stop. Peach or blueberry?”

             “Blueberry, I suppose.” Her eye tilted down as she reached for the bottom pie. The pharaoh said, “On second thought, I’ll take peach.”

            She smiled and handed him the top pie. The pharaoh observed the flaky, golden crust for a moment. The tip of his fork hovered above the steaming pastry. To dig in would be destroying a work of art. He glanced to Rahlin, and his eyes widened.

            Her pie tin contained nothing but crumbs. Purple smudged the corner of her mouth. The fork rested longways across the tin, and she tapped her hands against her knees. She caught him staring and asked, “What?”

            “Nothing,” he said quickly. The pharaoh risked a bite. The sweet flavors and soft pastry melted in his mouth. Before long, he’d gobbled up the whole treat. “Unbelievable.”

            “Eh? Did you not have these where you come from?”

            “I’m not sure. I lost my memories. I was almost able to recover them until your organization, DOMA, froze the tablet and stole the god cards.”

            Rahlin puffed out a sigh. “That sounds awfully inconvenient.”

            The pharaoh unclipped a deck box from his belt. He retrieved three cards: one crimson, one golden, and one cobalt. “Where did you get the Egyptian god cards?”

            “Starting in on the questions already? Where’s the courtesy? We haven’t even spoken about the weather yet.”

            He balked. “I… I-”

            At her laughter, he didn’t attempt pursuing the rest of his sentence. Rahlin said, “Kidding, of course. I received the cards from your father.”

            Her simple statement sprouted a hundred more questions in his mind. She went on: “My home, Atlantis, reached its height of a supposed paradise the same time your father, Pharaoh Aknamkanon, rose to power. I requested his help to eliminate the engine of humanity’s destruction, and he offered me the option to call upon his gods for noble purposes in exchange for a promise.”

            “Are you referencing the large, dark monster on the Atlantian tablet?” the pharaoh asked. “The inscription showed the Egyptian gods battling it. If that was the path to destroying humanity, why would you fight it?”

            “My patron and I had a clashing of ideals over the means he took to reach his ends. He follows neither honor nor duty in attaining his goals. I, however, could never defy a promise.”

            “Your patron being?”

            Rahlin shrugged. “You’ll know him when you meet him, which will be soon.”

            A breeze passed. The swaying branches of the apple tree altered the patches of sunlight pooling on their clothes. Rahlin tucked a wild tuft of white hair into the band of her eyepatch. The pharaoh watched the citizens in the park. The pair of teenage girls had shifted to looking on in fear.

            The woman sitting beside him had caused the comatose state of fifty plus people in the hospitals. She stole Espa Roba’s soul on national television and had shown no remorse for any lost human. Whenever Rahlin had the opportunity to challenge the pharaoh’s existence, however, she faltered. The first time, she forfeited. The second time, she returned the all-powerful gods to him beforehand.

            What made him different?

            Rahlin stacked the empty pie tins and said, “You’ve been staring at me for quite a few minutes. Do you have another question?”

            “What was the promise you made my father?”

            “…To protect his son,” she said. “Aknamkanon said darkness would befall you through no burden of your own but rather one passed down unto you. He said the future of Egypt rests with you, and he cared for you deeply. I’m sorry I can’t express it with the kindness he had. I expected an intimidating ruler. Your father was a kind, understanding king, which I thought impossible. Er, pharaoh, not king. Sorry.”

            The pharaoh exhaled. His father. Thousands of years later, his father found ways to reach him. A lightness blossomed in his chest he hadn’t experienced since his partner sacrificed himself.

            “Thank you,” he said. The smile he shared with her was not an expression he expected to have again. “Thank you for explaining that, Rahlin. These belong with you.”

            He passed the god cards to her. She blinked. “Eh? They rightfully belong in your hands.”

            “No. My father passed judgement and deemed you worthy. I will reclaim my lost right to call upon them. I see no reason to withhold them from you.”

            The cards fell into her palm. “Are you sure about this? I mean, I’m…”

            “I know exactly who you are,” he said. “I respect honor and duty, too. You are more honorable and dutiful than I have been. I betrayed my partner and my friends. I gave into the darkness. Rafael was right. Even Timaeus couldn’t stomach the sight of me in our duel.”

            “That’s what you think?” Her voice squeaked. She cleared her throat. “Listen, prince, Timaeus refusing to duel wasn’t because of anything you did. Timaeus is loyal to a fault. He wouldn’t fight me because I’m his friend.”

            The pharaoh’s brows furrowed. “You and the dragon?”

            “Yes, and if you’re down on yourself more than usual and finding yourself angrier in situations you wouldn’t be, it’s because of the Orichalcos around your neck.”

            The cold metal of the necklace he’d taken from the card thief pressed into his skin. The green stone glimmered in the sunshine. As Rahlin spoke, the wind threw shadows onto the Orichalcos.

            Rahlin said, “The stone has sentience and must feed. Its diet is emotions, and for humans, it eats anything negative. For survival, the Orichalcos developed the ability to manipulate human emotion so long as it is close enough. And, if it feeds off of a single human too much…”

            “Then?”

            Rahlin hugged herself and dropped her stare. “A horrific transformation happens. You aren’t anywhere near being in danger of that. How about I take that off you?”

            The necklace pooled in her palm. She stuffed it into her pocket. The loss of the trinket tossed off a dampening the pharaoh hadn’t noticed before. “You told the truth.”

            Rahlin sniffed. “I have not told you a single lie, prince of Egypt. I certainly hope this information will help in your loser’s final duel. Speaking of the game, I have a few cards I would like to give you.”

            Her Chaos duel disk appeared on her arm in a green flash as though magic had summoned it. She retrieved her deck, slid off the top five cards, and returned the Egyptian gods to the stack.

            Her arm froze on its movement towards the pharaoh. The cards trembled in her grasp. Her face pinched as though in pain. The pharaoh asked, “Is everything alright?”

            Rahlin thrust the cards towards him, saying, “I’m sorry. Being brave has always been a struggle.”

            That piqued his curiosity. He sifted through the cards. Rahlin shouted, “H-hey! Handle them with more care! Th-those are very important, you know!”

            The pharaoh sat straighter and folded the cards together, which seemed to appease her. He tucked the cards into his deck box with care as she had done with the Egyptian gods. “I appreciate your honesty and assistance, Rahlin Orichalcum.”

            She placed all of her weight on her cane, and the effort it took for her to rise was obvious. Regardless, the instant she was up, Rahlin bowed. Her long hair and bangs masked her expression as she said, “On my honor, prince.”

            The pharaoh could not think. Rahlin grabbed the trash and headed for the exit. Since her back was turned, he scrambled to take out the cards she had given him. His eyes widened.

            He sprinted after her and shouted, “Whose side are you on?”

            A smirk stretched her lips, and though she hadn’t turned to him, the image was not one he could forget. She wiped at her corner of her mouth. The smile disappeared. Rahlin waved a dismissive hand through the breeze.

            “’Sides’ is a childish idea. Every person has desires. If a few individuals have matching desires, perhaps they are allied for a time. I wouldn’t count anything as permanent. I’m not on a ‘side,’ but I do know exactly what I want.”

            Her hand dropped to her cane and she left the park, saying, “Prince of Egypt! May we meet under the sunburst sky again.”

            The pharaoh considered her farewell. Though well-put in wording, she spoke in a hasty tone. When he thought more on her words, he realized she hadn’t answered his question at all.

            Almost like she tried to avoid it.


	14. Change of Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a double feature, meaning it's twice the length of a normal chapter!

            Standards would have called the day beautiful, and Mai would have to disagree. Instead of the blue beyond the skyscrapers, she saw the shadows in the cracks between the pavement. The image of oily black staining pale skin pervaded her thoughts.

            Mai stopped by the café with the yellow umbrellas. The scent of roasting coffee beans drifted from the open door. The spot had the best lattes. That reminded her of her first Seal duel with Joey, when Valon had watched. She hadn’t paid the loss of his soul much thought. After Rahlin’s claims about the DOMA members and their psychological weaknesses, she felt sort of sorry for his obsession.

            A young boy and old woman played a chess match nearby. The woman introduced him to what the pieces on the board were capable of. Mai sighed; she had longed to be the queen and ended up a pawn instead.

            “Make this quick.” Rafael leaned on Mai’s table and flicked off his sunglasses. “I have a duel to make.”

            No need to beat around the bush. Mai asked, “What did you see when you looked at the black beneath the kid’s eyepatch?”

            Rafael’s pupils shrank. He ducked his head and clutched the folds of his trenchcoat as though to calm his nervous hands. “If you’ve seen, you should know that thing isn’t some kid.”

            Arguing wouldn’t get her anywhere. “Do you know what happens when we collect enough souls?”

            “Humanity will disappear if we’re lucky.”

            “Why do you want that?”

            He folded his arms over his chest. “I can’t explain without you understanding the true nature of Duel Monsters.”

            “I understand they’re real,” Mai snapped. “They have their own world, and the kid is one of them.”

            His arms dropped. “It is? I suppose it lines up with the vision I saw, because she was in our world and the Duel Monsters will occupy it when all is said and done. I want the monsters to have this world because they deserve it. They are good beings by default whereas our nature leans toward evil. Dartz says their world has dwindling resources. I would rather them exist instead of us. They’ve saved my life more than once when they shouldn’t have.”

            “…You can see monsters?”

            “Spirits, they’re called,” Rafael explained.

            “Yet you’ll still call the kid a demon.”

            He scratched his blond sideburn. “I saw a vision of her future. She wore this white suit, and her aura wasn’t the wholesome kind monsters usually have. There was something eternally unnerving about her. I was proved right when these two people attacked her. She…”

            Despite the heat, Rafael shivered. Mai found herself leaning in closer. The volume of his voice lowered to a whisper. “That _thing_ crushed the attackers with her bare hands. The black behind her eyepatch, it- I can’t explain how it _moved_. I know monsters. She isn’t one.”

            Mai had a hard time processing Rafael’s description and settled for understanding he witnessed something creepy. “You’re overreacting. She explained everything to me – how Dartz is using us. Whatever he convinced you of is a lie for certain. There’s a way to bring back the lost souls, and I’ll do whatever it takes to bring Joey and Valon back.”

            On the table beside Mai and Rafael, the old woman stole away a small piece from the boy’s board. Bishop takes pawn, she explained. The boy looked upon the board with curious eyes.

            Rafael’s gaze burned into Mai. “Treason.”

            “What?”

            The Chaos duel disk on his wrist lit up, flipped out, and sliced open. “You’re talking treason. I won’t allow you to betray DOMA.”

            “Loyal as a dog,” she growled, “even when the facts come out. Fine. If this is the first step, I’ll take you down!”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            The television crackled. The helicopter coverage circled around the Kaiba Dome, showing the packed seating for the final matches. Seto Kaiba awaited in the winner’s side of the final match. Whoever won between Yugi and Rafael’s rematch would go on to face him.

            Except Rafael had been late, and the MC had to stall several minutes for him to show. He narrowly dodged disqualification. In the hospital room, Rahlin sighed and rested her cheeks on her knuckles. The gentle beeps of Mai’s heart rate filled the room.

            Someone sat beside her. She glanced up to her patron, who pinned Mai’s sleeping form with a stern gaze. Dartz said, “These humans fall like flies. Next we’ll be seeing Rafael lose to the pharaoh, I suppose. I can’t trust the meatbags to do anything right.”

            Rahlin attempted to think joyful thoughts, but nothing could drag her out of mourning. Her patron inevitably sensed her emotions. “Do not waste your pity on someone weak enough to lose a simple duel.”

            “Who did she lose to?”

            “I have no way of knowing,” Dartz said. “Likely not anyone of note.”

            Rahlin sighed through her nostrils. She couldn’t imagine who Mai would challenge in a Seal duel after what she had told Mai. Judging by her reactions, she thought Mai regretted ever taking a single soul.

            The television caught her attention again. Roars from the crowd indicated the start of the duel. Rafael swore to keep monsters out of his graveyard unlike his uncaring nemesis. Monsters were to be treasured and treated as equals, he said.

            Rahlin resisted laughing. She didn’t exactly feel “treasured” by him. Her patron watched the duel with little interest. Rahlin asked, “If he loses, what will you do? Finish out the tournament with the prince against Kaiba?”

            “No. If the pharaoh wins, I take both of them into a duel against myself. I know I can’t lose using myself. Dangling the KaibaCorp stock ownership and the god cards should have them running despite the odd challenge. I’ll say whoever deals the most damage to me chooses what prize they want. They’ll see the opportunity as win-win, but we know how much of a loss it will be.”

            A smile delighted her expression. “I didn’t realize you dueled, patron!”

            He grumbled, “The practice became necessary thanks to the shift of the world’s culture. When we could slice a throat to steal a soul within the Seal, the process moved along much faster.”

            Rahlin observed her hands as though the ghosts of bloodstains were visible. She cleared her throat and attempted a swap to more mundane topics. “Think the people who purchased tickets will be angry when you move the finals?”

            “The opinions of the dead do not scratch my intentions.”

            “Well put,” Rahlin said with a small smile. “Will Seto and the pharaoh be a challenge to you?”

            “No. Nothing can match infinity.” Her patron peered at her hand covering her mouth. “I assure you the burst of happiness you experienced is shared with me. They will be a simple victory. Today, humanity falls.”

            “Today,” Rahlin repeated.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            “Absolutely incredible!” the announcer’s voice boomed throughout the Kaiba Dome. “The unbelievable strength of Rafael’s Guardian Dreadscythe fails to finish the former King of Games once again! Yugi Muto hangs on with 10 life points left against all odds! What can he do with his final turn? Will he reclaim his title or fall asleep to Rafael’s spell?”

            The pharaoh stared down his opponent’s field. Rafael preached about his value of his own monsters yet tossed them all to the graveyard the instant Guardian Eatos had been destroyed. Dreadscythe’s wicked nature seemed to be a reflection of the Orichalcos’s influence as Rahlin had warned. Eatos exhumed a heavenly aura, however.

            A plan clicked in his mind. The pharaoh said, “I understand what has happened to you, Rafael. You are a respectable duelist when the Orichalcos is not playing games with your emotions. The same happened to me. You’ve been twisted into believing the Orichalcos reveals true natures when, in truth, the opposite comes to pass.”

            “The evil pharaoh is trying to lecture me now?” Rafael said. “Your past speaks for you.”

            A pinch of doubt worried him. He recalled his father’s blessing, and the darkness scattered. “I’ll show you the purity of my heart! By playing Spider Web, I may add the Monster Reborn in your graveyard to my hand. By activating it, I bring the one and only Guardian Eatos to _my_ field!”

            She soared on angel’s wings, and her white feathers graced the pharaoh’s field. Fury painted Rafael’s features. The pharaoh continued, “The Claw of Hermos fuses with Queen’s Knight to form Goddess Bow, an Equip Spell for Guardian Eatos. My monster’s attack is doubled.”

            “ _Not_ your monster,” Rafael growled.

            “Guardian Eatos attacks Guardian Dreadscythe!” the pharaoh commanded. Dreadscythe cut the arrow in two, and a card disappeared from Rafael’s hand.

            “A discard negates that destruction.”

            The pharaoh smirked. “As I hoped. Goddess Bow will prevent Eatos’s destruction despite her attack matching Dreadscythe’s. Afterward, Eatos can attack again!”

            For every arrow and consequential swipe from the opposing monster’s scythe, a card faded from Rafael’s grasp. All six cards in his hand fell to Eatos’s strike. The seventh arrow struck home. A dark mire remained and sucked in Eatos. She smiled at Rafael all the while.

            With horror in his expression, Rafael cried out, “ _Eatos_!”

            The darkness swallowed her. A tear streaked his cheek. The pharaoh considered the field, which lacked the bleak mist from Dreadscythe’s summoning. Rafael’s silence said he had come to realize exactly how much he had betrayed his monsters. “It’s not too late, Rafael. You can make peace.”

            Rafael drew for turn and drew again through Guardian Treasure, his Continuous Spell. “Underworld Circle’s effect. Guardian Grarl is special summoned from the grave.”

            The muscly monster tossed a smile over his shoulder. Though it oozed pity, Rafael’s reflection of it said he didn’t mind. The pharaoh hid his amazement. The more days that passed, the more people surprised him in their actions.

            “I play Soul Charge. I can Special Summon any number of monsters from my grave. I want to see Guardian Elma, Guardian Kay’est, and Backup Gardna again.”

            “What are you doing?” the pharaoh called. “If you use that card-”

            “I take 500 points of damage from each one,” he said with a peaceful smile. His life counter lowered from 1200 to zero. “It’s worth it. My grave is empty again. I failed my family once, but it’ll all be okay. I won’t be causing you monsters pain anymore.”

            The Seal of Orichalcos shrunk to capture Rafael’s feet. The Orichalcos in the pendant at his throat crumbled. The beginning of the intense, green light to capture his soul buffeted his trenchcoat and blond locks. The pharaoh shouted, “Rafael!”

            Rafael held up a flat hand. “You were right. Now that the Seal is taking me, those dark feelings are gone. I’ll make you a deal, King of Games. If you can save humanity, I’ll respect your belief that purity is possible.”

            A pillar of green stole his consciousness. The pharaoh caught him before he hit the ground. He shook Rafael and repeated his name. No response.

            “Congratulations to the once again King of Games!” Hesitant applause rippled through the crowd. The pharaoh lifted his head; the voice wasn’t the same announcer from earlier. He recognized the multicolored eyes and teal hair belonging to the same man who had led the press conference at the tournament’s beginning.

            The man explained how the pharaoh and Kaiba would fight him together for whichever prize they chose. Both duelists were invited to DOMA’s personal boardroom atop the former KaibaCorp skyscraper.

            A pair of men in black suits approached him. The pharaoh asked, “What about Rafael?”

            “He’ll be handled by someone else. We’re to take you to Dartz.”

            Dartz, the man on the screens, and must have been the “patron” Rahlin referred to. The pharaoh could only imagine someone wanting a direct conflict with him and Kaiba being the same leader of DOMA.

            Kaiba awaited in the back of the supplied limousine. The pharaoh made it halfway inside before Kaiba started in. “Who does this Dartz hack think he is? First of all, the person who never lost in the tournament is supposed to have some sort of advantage. Second of all, he built up excitement for the finals throughout the bracket only to fizzle out at the last second. Third of all and most importantly, he’s making rookie mistakes under _my_ company’s name. I’ll make him pay for running KaibaCorp through the dirt. Oh, and don’t think you’re keeping that ‘King of Games’ title for long.”

            “This will be more than a mere duel, Kaiba. Dartz is the leader of DOMA, meaning he’s the source of the soul stealing.”

            “Don’t tell me you’re convinced more supernatural hocus pocus is at play. A disease is going around. It happens.”

            The pharaoh asked, “A disease that specifically affects those who lose duels?”

            “Coincidences do exist no matter what your feeble mind refuses to grasp.”

            The pharaoh shook his head. He may as well try to convince a brick wall. The limousine braked in front of the massive building. The pharaoh didn’t wait for the escorts to open his door. He stopped in the empty lobby to glance around.

            Kaiba strode past, saying, “The elevators are this way. My key card still works.”

            The pharaoh shouldered his way inside, and the pair rode to the highest floor. The elevator exited to a small room encased by transparent walls. The instant the pharaoh recognized the lone man within, he broke into a sprint. He yanked the inner door open and said, “You’re Dartz.”

            Dartz tossed a thin-eyed stare over the shoulder of his purple pinstripe suit. Instead of turning to face the duelists, he walked towards the back. The wall rippled like a disturbed lake, and Dartz disappeared.

            “Great,” Kaiba groaned, “more nonsense theatrics. We better not be dealing with another Pegasus.”

            “They do both have a penchant for soul stealing,” the pharaoh said. “Dartz will likely be as formidable. We could be walking into some sort of trap- Kaiba, wait!”

            Seto entered the back wall the same way Dartz had. The pharaoh took a moment to curse his name before following. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the lower lighting on the other side. Moisture thickened the air. Water dripped from the dark ceiling. Stone columns and torches flanked the path. Three stairs led to a pair of flames flickering behind holes like eyes, and the silhouette of DOMA’s mastermind towered between them.

            Kaiba started towards him. The pharaoh couldn’t keep his gaze leveled on Dartz. He glanced into the dark surrounding them, expecting arrows to fire or rocks to fall. Reaching the steps seemed to take centuries. He looked back to see a tall wall colored violet, which must have been the portal they took.

            “The Nameless Pharaoh and Seto Kaiba,” Dartz said. His voice seemed to have a hiss whenever it reached “S” sounds. His outfit had changed from earlier, too; the white and teal robes Dartz wore called back to a long since ended era. The pharaoh shook his head and promised not to linger on the pointless. “Welcome to my domain.”

            A corner of Kaiba’s mouth lifted. “You weren’t hoping taking the duel away from the cameras would let you lie about when I win, were you? The duel disk system logs the results of all duels, including this one.”

            “You’re mistaken, Kaiba,” the pharaoh said. “He doesn’t care about the results. If he takes our souls, a giant beast will kill every human on the planet.”

            Dartz’s grin unveiled sinister truths. Kaiba paid it no mind. “Cut the occult fairy tales. I’m here to duel.”

            The reaping scythe of Dartz’s duel disk activated. “Duel we shall.”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Rahlin frowned up at a sculpture. The pale, white piece nestled in the corner of a terrace overlooking rows and rows of housing. The statues represented a pair of featureless humans holding each other in the dip of a dance.

            “I like this one a lot.” Rahlin glanced back. Ryo approached with his eyes on the sculpture. The spring green of his button-up complimented him nicely, she thought. He continued, “It means a lot without being much. The title is ‘Trust.’”

            A pair of pigeons flapped to the statue. Rahlin hummed with her thoughts. She could only reminisce on when she used to be able to dance. To bring it up would likely make Ryo feel bad, though, so she held her tongue. “Is that why you said to meet here?”

            “Well, it’s the place I know best nearby! The park is this way.” She followed him down the street and observed the yards below. Children ran through sprinklers. A parent chased down a toddler before the child ran into the street. Ryo said, “Are you alright? You seem quieter than usual.”

            He pressed the tips of his index fingers together as though her nerves infected him, too. Rahlin noted how short he kept his gait on account of her and how natural he made it look. She smiled and said, “I guess the tournament has gotten under my skin.”

            “Oh! I think it’s just wonderful Yugi managed to win his title back. The duel was spectacular, too – what I saw of it, anyway. It’s rather strange what the organizer is doing, though.”

            “Something tells me he’s not experienced in running tournaments,” Rahlin commented.

            “Right. Could be the DOMA CEO acquired KaibaCorp without knowing much about dueling. That would make Yugi and Kaiba’s duel a simple victory!”

            Rahlin went to nibble on her thumb and stopped herself. “I hope so.”

            “I’m sure they won’t have any trouble. If the past is anything to go by- oh. Oh, my. I’m so sorry, Rahlin. This bit completely slipped my mind.” Several sets of staircases led towards the park road. Ryo glanced around, saying, “There’s a perfect route that rounds to the other side we can take-”

            Her hand on his shoulder eased his rising panic. Rahlin said, “Would you-”

            Her stare dropped to her shoes, and her mouth wriggled. Ryo asked, “Would I what?”

            She coughed into her fist, but it did nothing to hide her reddening face. “Would you carry me?”

            The words appeared to take a moment to register for him. His blank expression warmed into a smile. Ryo crouched in front of her. At the sight of the stairs over his head, she felt dizzy. She recalled Valon hauling her across Domino City and how ashamed she felt.

            But when she observed Ryo, she didn’t have that same pit in her stomach.

            Rahlin threw her arms over his shoulders and relied on him to do the rest. He grasped beneath her knees and hoisted her up. She wrung her hands around her cane and rested her chin on his right shoulder. His long hair brushed her left cheek. Her heart thumped against his back.

            “Okay?” he asked.

            “Great,” she whispered.

            She felt the stretching of his smile. He took each step with care. His shoulders tensed and grip tightened when he did. Rahlin remained as still as possible and focused on his warmth instead of the road ahead.

            “Do you want me to lower you here? I can take you to that bench if not.”

            Rahlin cracked her eye open. They were at the bottom so soon. Whatever of her pride remained argued to drop right there, but more of her wanted it to last longer. She nodded to the bench. Ryo carried her on and slowly lowered her onto the metal seat.

            The cold silver of her cane had warmed from her grip. She pushed herself to her feet as soon as she had regained enough composure. There remained an urge to cover her red face, however.

            She blazed the trail to the park. The area was mostly empty besides a couple of kids playing with the giant chess pieces near the opposite gate entrance.

            Ryo said, “Oh! I’ve always wanted to try playing. I know they’d be difficult to move even though they’re empty plastic. There’s something exciting about the board being life size – sort of like Duel Monsters and its holograms these days.”

            The match appeared to be close to ending. The young boy commanded a king, queen, and rook. The girl opposing him frowned at her cornered king. The boy said, “You can always give up to save time!”

            “It’s not over!” she countered. “I still have my knight!”

            “What’s one measly knight gonna do?”

            Rahlin murmured, “Who’s your money on, Ryo?”

            “The odds favor the boy, but I have to give it to the girl,” he said. “I’ve seen belief win more than odds.”

            She closed her eye and smiled. “Good answer.”

            “Um, you may want to come over here,” Ryo said. He gestured to stone seating rounding a large tree. “Not that you have to, just… I’m albino, too, and I know how too long in the sun can have lasting effects.”

            “Albino? I’ve been called that before – er, in a more derogatory fashion. What does it mean?”

            “N-nothing bad!” Ryo assured. “Some people may be born with lighter hair and skin tones, and they tend to sunburn more easily. That’s why I suggested the shade. You do seem to be burned in the cheeks already.”

            She covered her face with her arm, her blush harshening. “Er, yeah, yep. Shade would be great.”

            Rahlin rushed to the spot he suggested and fell into the seat. Her jaw dropped as she looked to the sky. Small, green apples decorated the branches. She hadn’t recognized it from afar, but she was sure it was the same place she’d run into Yugi and met the pharaoh.

            “Knight takes rook!” the little girl hollered from across the park.

            The large, white horse representing the last knight held Rahlin’s attention. Beside her, Ryo said, “What a lovely day. Wonderful idea to come here. It’s sort of nice how everyone is gone because of the tournament, too.”

            She hardly heard him. Her hold on her own hands tightened. Something tickled her palm. Ryo asked, “Oh? Do you have something there?”

            Rahlin showed her palms. A bright blue butterfly flitted from its cage and flapped towards the sky. It passed across her vision. When it did, the blue sky transformed into a roiling black sea. Starfoam crashed. Consistent _bong_ s drowned out the splashing sounds. The bell in the distant tower reflected starlight in its sway.

            “…Rahlin? Rahlin, are you there?”

            She snapped her gaze to Ryo. The tilt of his brown eyes showed his concern. The blue sky peeked through the leaves of the apple tree. Rahlin’s fingers curled into fists, and she shook her head. “I don’t have much time left.”

            “What?”

            “Sorry!” She scratched her temple. “I’m sorry. I’m worried about something I shouldn’t be. I was thinking it’d be unfair to keep you waiting any longer on that story. Want to hear the end?”

            Ryo scooted closer to her with that sparkle in his eyes.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            “I understand why Critias chose you, Seto Kaiba!” Dartz shouted. Rainbows danced in the wing webbing of the dragon floating above Kaiba’s field. Mirror Force Dragon bared its fangs at Dartz. “Critias was known as a being of pure conviction. Only someone of matching hardheadedness could free him from his curse. Your willingness to erase your friends’ souls for eternity matches his charging into my trap thousands of years ago. History tends to repeat.”

            Dartz’s smile curled up. The pharaoh grit his teeth. Kaiba’s Battle Phase was ongoing. Every monster on Dartz’s field had been destroyed by Kaiba’s astounding attack with Mirror Force Dragon. What could Dartz have up his sleeve?

            “Kyutora’s effect activates upon destruction.” Dartz cast his arm forth. An ancient doll rose from the trembling earth. A pair of arms attached to the sides. “Orichalcos Shunoros, Orichalcos Dexia, and Orichalcos Aristeros are special summoned. Orichalcos Shunoros gains every point of attack Kyutora drained. I’ve been counting. The total adds up to… 19500.”

            The pharaoh’s pupil shrank. The attacks they threw at his seemingly impenetrable defense had been fueling his future plans all along. The Seal of Orichalcos Tritos increased Shunoros’s attack to 20000. He didn’t know a card in Duel Monsters capable of standing up to it.

            “Here is my promised trap, Critias and Seto,” Dartz said. “Martyr Curse. Mirror Force Dragon and Orichalcos Shunoros must battle now, and you cannot use Critias’s effect.”

            The pharaoh’s lungs flattened. Kaiba’s stance appeared to share the sensation. At 20000 attack to 2800, Kaiba had no way of surviving. A green beam matching the Seal blasted through Mirror Force Dragon and swallowed Kaiba. The attack cleared to steam rising from his white coat. His life counter dropped to zero.

            “What do you say, Seto Kaiba? Do you believe in the supernatural now?” Dartz mocked.

            One of the three rings around the Seal of Orichalcos surrounded Kaiba’s feet. The light from below scattered the shadows from his face. The pharaoh expected him to be afraid.

            Sheer determination defined Kaiba instead. The last trap on his field flipped up. Wish of Final Effort took Mirror Force Dragon’s attack points and added it to the pharaoh’s life points, bringing him to 4300.

            “Whatever you do, Yugi,” Kaiba swore, “ _don’t_ leave this clown in charge of my company.”

            The pillar of green light consumed his soul. His empty body hit the cold stone. Dartz’s nose twisted in disgust. “Petty fool. He’ll hold onto his stubborn pride until the end, as all humans will. It will be your downfall, too, pharaoh.”

            The pride shared from his ally blazed within him. Though his 4300 life points were nothing close to Dartz’s 18500 and his monster’s 20000 attack defeated anything feasible in his deck, he knew the possibilities were limitless.

            “My draw!” the pharaoh announced. “I play Pot of Greed. I now summon Obnoxious Celtic Guardian in defense position, set one card, and end my turn.”

            “Do you exist to struggle?” Dartz asked. “I activate Orichalcos Deuteros’s effect through Tritos. I gain 500 LP for every monster on my field, taking my total to 20000. Perhaps you think you are safe because Shunoros is but one monster, but this is not true. Shunoros is made up of three! I attack you with Orichalcos Dexia! Its ability changes its attack to equal your monster’s defense plus 300!”

            The right arm’s attack changed to 1500. The pharaoh thought for a split second; he needed to keep his last line of defense. “I play Soul Shield! At the cost of half my life points, Obnoxious Celtic Guardian isn’t destroyed, and your Battle Phase ends!”

            “You squirm like a worm beneath lamplight,” Dartz said. His curl of a grin never changed. “Shunoros’s attack decreases by Dexia’s, and afterward, Dexia returns to its normal values. I must ask you. Why do you go on, pharaoh?”

            “For all the sacrifices my friends have made,” he answered.

            “What friends?” Dartz asked. “The ones whose souls have gone to the nether? They don’t exist anymore; their fate is worse than death.”

            The pharaoh winced. His partner, his supporters, even Kaiba – disappeared? If there was no way to retrieve them, _should_ he go on?

            “There is a way to reunite with them,” Dartz noted. “If you lose your soul, you will all be lost together. Your eternity will rest with them if you make the right choice, pharaoh. If your desire is to take fate into your own hands… you could always fold to be with your friends.

            “And who would blame you? There is no conceivable victory. No monster in the game can defeat mine. You can go out painlessly and peacefully.”

            Painless and peaceful. An eternity with those he loved. His hand hovered near his deck. It was all so simple – like a lovely melody serenading his worst doubts. Darkness consumed his vision. All else faded. Why _did_ he struggle? Why had he bothered to come this far? All the difficulties could have been overcome so easily.

            Light crossed his sight. The pharaoh gasped. In this world of eternal blackness, a bright blue butterfly flitted through the air. His arm dropped. The butterfly alighted on the top card of his deck.

            The intense blue reminded him of the limitless sky first. Next, he recalled the blue eye of someone who had told him a very important fact. His father, the kind, understanding pharaoh before him had wanted him to _live_.

            He imagined the crinkle in his father’s eyes from his smile. The growing hole in his chest transformed into warmth instead. The darkness scattered, returning him to the duel against Dartz.

            “How?” Dartz questioned, staring at the pharaoh’s deck. “How is that _here_?”

            He swiped the top card off his deck, and the butterfly disappeared in a tiny flurry of azure sparkles. “At the cost of tributing a monster, paying 1000 life points, and banishing The Claw of Hermos, the Fang of Critias, and the Eye of Timaeus, I play the spell card Legend of Heart!”

            Obnoxious Celtic Guardian lowered his chin as he disappeared. The pharaoh’s counter fell to 1150. Dartz’s eyes widened. A blade with a red hilt fell and cut into the ground, creating cracks in the Seal. “You- you thief!”

            A second falchion, this with a black pommel, sliced into the earth. The breaks in Orichalcos Tritos deepened. Dartz hollered, “You could not have that card without stooping to petty thievery from someone who can’t defend herself! You’re as rotten a pharaoh as you were thousands of years ago!”

            From his father’s legacy, he was sure his opponent’s words were nothing but lies. The third and final sword, the one bearing a cyan hilt, slammed into the center of the Seal of Orichalcos. The Field Spell shattered into a million shards.

            Three fluttering capes dropped alongside their matching blades. The black knight retrieved his blade first and aimed it at Dartz’s heart. The crimson knight smiled at the blue knight before grabbing his. The blue knight rested the steel upon his right shoulder, glanced back to the pharaoh, and nodded.

            A scar marred his right eye. The pharaoh managed to say, “Legendary Knight Timaeus.”

            The knight in red grinned and gave a thumbs-up. “Legendary Knight Hermos.”

            The knight in black paid him zero attention, instead directing all aggression towards the enemy. “Legendary Knight Critias. So these are your true forms.”

            “Thievery, I say!” Dartz hissed. “And if you believe for a blink of an eye this makes a difference, you’re just another foolish human!”

            “These cards were a gift from a dear friend,” the pharaoh said, “and they will not go to any waste. Legendary Knight Timaeus battles your defense position Orichalcos Aristeros!”

            “Its ability changes its defense to be your monster’s attack plus 300!” Dartz said. Hermos’s blade left no scratches. The bounceback lowered the pharaoh’s life from 1150 to 850. “Orichalcos Shunoros loses 3100 attack from what Aristeros gained.”

            “Again,” the pharaoh urged. “Legendary Knight Hermos attacks Orichalcos Aristeros!”

            Dartz’s upper lip twitched. The pharaoh must have found the answer. Defense gained and attack lost. His life points dropped to 550. “Finally, Legendary Knight Critias attacks!”

            The last attack left Shunoros at 5900 attack down from 15200. The pharaoh had 250 life points. He knew he needed not a point more. He offered silent thanks to Kaiba and his last wish.

            “My draw,” Dartz growled. “Orichalcos Shunoros attacks Legendary Knight Critias!”

            “Critias’s effect! I can use any trap in my graveyard, and I choose Mirror Force! All the damage returns to you!”

            Critias reflected the shot off his blade. The blast tore through the three monsters and Dartz, leaving his field completely empty and his life points lowered from 20000 to 14100.

            The pharaoh felt confident until he saw Dartz’s smile.

            “Shunoros’s last effect,” he said. “Its attack power reached zero before it was destroyed, and I meet the stipulation of having over 10000 life points. The next requirements are discarding my entire hand and paying all my life points!”

            “What?” the pharaoh exclaimed. “Then you lose!”

            “Summon!” Dartz shouted. “ _Divine Serpent Geh_!”

            Dartz coughed. Black stained his lips. Shaking hands wiped the stains away. He looked upon his blackened fingers with two golden eyes. A gaping dark hole ripped open his chest. A too human scream tore from his throat. Dartz lurched and collapsed backward on the altar.

            A monster slithered from the swirling black. The thick body of the serpent coiled about the field like the Seal of Orichalcos had. The stench of death radiated from the snake’s body. The pharaoh ducked his nose into his elbow. The display of the summoned monster appeared, showing its attack and defense: ∞.

            Dartz’s voice reverberated throughout his very thoughts: _“Witness your demise, petty human. As long as I remain on the field, I cannot lose the duel. Turn end.”_

             “You?” he said. “You’re the monster? You… you were all along. That’s why you would want humanity gone.”

            _“Humanity oppresses us in every lifetime,”_ it hissed. _“Your kind brews nothing but evil. I will see it snuffed out.”_

            “I know we humans and monsters deserve peace with each other instead!” the pharaoh exclaimed. “I set one card and end my turn.”

            A card hovered from the top of the deck strapped to the unmoving, human form of Dartz. The serpent’s head lifted. A pair of turquoise eyes glowed like the Seal had. _“Attack. Legendary Knight Timaeus.”_

            Divine Serpent Geh’s mouth unhinged. The _snap_ forward of its neck happened in an instant. Timaeus was gone. _“You lose, Nameless Pharaoh.”_

            “Trap activate!” he shouted. “Relay Soul! When my life points reach zero, I can special summon a monster from my hand. I can only lose once that monster is destroyed! I choose the Dark Magician Girl!”

            She appeared behind Hermos and Critias. Dark Magician Girl held her seashell wand to her chest as she scanned the serpentine body enclosing the duel field. The card floating above Dartz’s human body slid into the spell/trap slot.

            _“Impact Revive restores the monster destroyed and replays the Battle Phase,”_ Geh said. _“Timaeus returns with 500 additional attack, but he isn’t my target no matter how many satisfying deaths I would have him experience. I target your Dark Magician Girl.”_

            “Hermos’s effect!” the pharaoh shouted. “Your attack is redirected, and I can give him the monster ability of one in my grave – like the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian! Your attack power is greater than 1900, meaning Hermos isn’t destroyed by the battle. My life points are already at zero, so your damage means nothing!”

            Geh’s fangs scraped Hermos’s steel. The snake spat venom against the wall in fury. _“Turn end. Your time will wind to a close, Nameless Pharaoh. You cannot hope to overcome infinity.”_

            “Overcome, no,” he said, “but I can match it.”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            A breeze rustled the branches of the apple tree overhead. Ryo stole a glance at the sapphire sky between the emerald leaves. A puffy cloud drifted between parallel silver contrails.

            His stare dropped to Rahlin, who had been watching him the whole time. He denied a compulsive apology from tumbling out of his mouth. Across the park, the children hollered their chess moves and struggled to push the large pieces.

            “Could you start with a quick refresher of the first part of the story?” Ryo asked.

            “A wicked king designed a machine to kill every Duel Monster on the planet,” Rahlin explained. “In the same city, a half-monster, half-human lived. The king captured the half-breed because it contained the last Duel Monster species required to complete his machine, but at the last second, the half-breed reversed the situation.

            “A grand serpent was trapped within the king, and the king’s consciousness became a vessel for the monster-”

            Ryo said, “Forgive me, but would you perhaps be able to use names? It becomes difficult to keep them all straight.”

            Rahlin nodded. “Of course. The half-breed, Rain, trapped Divine Serpent Geh within the king, Dartz. Geh used Dartz as his mask and continued his royal life as though nothing had changed. Geh knew he had a time limit, however. He had a different status from Rain; the ritual trapping him with Dartz called for Geh retaining his immortality, which Duel Monsters have naturally. The passing years would have the humans growing suspicious of Geh not withering with them. Thus, Divine Serpent Geh formed a plan.”

            “This is where I remember you stopping.”

            Her smile brightened. Ryo couldn’t help but share it. Rahlin said, “Sorry for keeping you waiting. Geh is a special monster with the ability to feel the emotions of those around him. After an eternity of shared torment, he snapped. Geh decided humanity created too much suffering. The Duel Monsters should be the only sentient beings to exist.”

            “The exact opposite of the king, Dartz,” Ryo noted.

            Rahlin’s eyebrows tilted, shifting her smile to bittersweet. “Funny how the tables turn. Geh passed a special ritual onto Rain, who shared his belief. She became the first Soul Reaper and stole the eternal life from citizens of the city.

            “The plan would have gone smoothly if not for two mistakes Geh made. First, he murdered Rain’s brother, the only human she loved. Second, he fixed the Destruction of Monsters Amassed machine behind her back. Instead of freeing the captured Duel Monsters, Geh set it up so their souls, too, would go toward erasing humanity.

            “Rain had different morals; she saw sacrificing monsters to save them as an unforgivable slight against her, and killing her brother twisted the knife in her back further. She swore to foil Geh’s plan on her brother’s grave.”

            Ryo said, “Erm, I’m a tad confused. If her brother is human, he would have died to their plan anyway.”

            “Yes, he would have,” Rahlin responded. “She tried her best not to love him and not to care. The heart is a fickle thing.”

            “That’s tragic,” he whispered.

            Rahlin grasped at her pantleg, her lower lip trembling. She bit down. Ryo prayed he hadn’t hurt her feelings. She continued, “Rain left the city to recruit allies for battling Geh. She bowed before a pharaoh, a fae dragon, and a knight. As a result of her pleas, the Egyptian Gods, Legendary Knights, and an army of Duel Monsters joined her cause.

            “The cost to her was great. Rain had to make three promises. To the pharaoh, she owed his son protection. To the fae dragon, she owed the Duel Monsters a haven of their own. To the Legendary Knights, she owed the duty and honor that comes with the knighthood they forced upon her, restricting how she could use the abilities of her monstrous half.

            “The allies she gained turned out to be worth it, because they barely won the war against Geh’s army. Rain and the Legendary Knights moved to confront the serpent himself. Geh planned a trap using a cursed sword. The tiniest nick would spread the curse through the afflicted person’s body in a snap.

            “The Legendary Knights ran headfirst into this trap, and one-by-one, they were sealed into cases of ice. Geh could not curse Rain. He knew her emotions; though she fought against him, he knew she desired a world without humans. He also knew she had come to love the knights like family. The curse changed the Knights into Duel Monsters, Geh said. The plan would not kill them. He would free them only if Rain called off the attack and helped him fulfill the plan.

            “She stabbed him in the back instead. Little did she know the act brought about the beginning of the end. Geh’s death triggered the activation of his repurposed DOMA machine, sacrificing the souls of the trapped monsters and Geh’s own soul. Those sacrifices were enough to push the plan to completion.

            “A beast larger than the sky formed from the fuel of reaped souls. The Great Leviathan strove to complete its given task: humanity’s erasure. Before it could move, however, three Egyptian Gods locked it into combat.

            “This bought Rain time to use her monster’s half abilities, which granted her three wishes at cost. One, killing the Great Leviathan; two, creating a realm for monsters known as the Spirit World; three, splitting herself into a monster half and a human half.

            “The human half would live in the regular world and take the cost of her wishes. The monster half would exist in the Spirit World and, being pure Duel Monster, had immortality to protect the new realm forever. The human half knew the burden from her wishes would end her life. She made a request of her immortal sister: to break the curse sealing the Legendary Knights. Thus, Rain died, the Great Leviathan fell, and the sacrificed souls were freed.

            “If only it could be a happy ending for all. The monster half of Rain transported to the Spirit World with the statues of the transformed Legendary Knights. She may not have been the same person, but she retained the same memories as the human half up to the point of splitting.

            “The love she held for the knights decayed into sorrow. The only way to break the curse was through the hands of very specific humans, but since the world had split in two, there was no possible way for any human to reach the cursed knights. The painful burden of guilt only grew heavier with the passing days, month, years, _millennia_.”

            The last word landed like a guillotine on Ryo’s neck. A cold wind passed through the park. Ryo hugged himself. “I can’t imagine dealing with such pain for so long.”

            He risked a glance up and was surprised to find Rahlin grinning. “The days could pass as they wanted and the burden could be a mountain. It would not matter to the monster half. She held something important close to her; she never let go of hope.”

            Hope, Ryo thought. He gazed across the park’s green grasses. The girl in the chess match still had her king and knight pieces. She had taken down one of her opponent’s pieces despite the odds. The boy moved his queen into place and called, “Check!”

            The girl responded instantly by moving her knight directly in front of her king. She puffed her chest and gestured for the boy to bring it on.

            A hand falling on Ryo’s knee stole his attention. Rahlin wore a sweet smile that upturned her closed eye. “I wanted to thank you. Spending time with you taught me about a hope I didn’t know existed. I’ve always thought that legend inspiring, but the hope in it seemed more like a perseverance to me. I didn’t understand it was more; I didn’t know it could be a _feeling_.”

            And so much more, he thought. It was an emotion that convinced him to step outside his apartment once, just this once, to find that girl who used her water to help his dying plant instead of herself. It was a feeling that sparked a wonderful kind of adrenaline in his soul, making him want to sprint towards nowhere and everywhere when he saw her smile.

            Those were nonsensical, unexplainable thoughts, however. Ryo feared too much and spoke little. Heat flushed his face. He tried to focus on the chess match. The boy posted up behind his queen and pushed the piece forward. Ryo whispered, “If it weren’t for you…”

            No, he shouldn’t put it like that. He didn’t feel indebted to her, but he certainly did feel attached, like he longed for this moment, this perfect, beautiful day to last forever. His blush worsened at the thought of admitting something so cheesy. Ryo settled on saying, “I’m so incredibly happy I know you, Rahlin.”

            The courage to look her in the eye wasn’t in him. The sly smile he caught out of the corner of his eye was a world of relief. The knot in his stomach loosened. Then her grip tightened on his knee, and the tangles returned. She leaned in close. A pleasant, fresh scent like a field of tulips emanated from her. He braced himself for her whisper.

            Warm, soft lips kissed his cheek. The heat flushing his face harshened. He was shocked he didn’t float out of his seat right then and there. She moved back. Ryo grinned and had to hold in a giddy laugh. He turned to Rahlin. His stomach dropped and his smile with it.

            He sat alone under the apple tree.

            “Rahlin?”

            Frantic scans of the park showed no traces of her. He hopped up on jittery feet and rounded the area. Nothing. Nothing? How?

            _Clack!_

            Ryo’s head swiveled towards the two kids’ chess match. The black queen collided with the white knight. Both teetered back, forth, back and careened to the grass. The boy said, “That’s it, huh. A draw. I guess I shouldn’t have doubted that knight of yours after all.”

            Ryo couldn’t look away from the form of the fallen and battered knight.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Divine Serpent Geh’s head curled behind the pharaoh. Torchlight swirled in its turquoise eyes, and the flames reflected red off its fangs. It hissed, _“Match infinity? Impossible. Impossible, unless you also stole the vessel of-”_

            “My draw!” the pharaoh exclaimed. “Since Legendary Knight Critias and Legendary Knight Hermos have activated their effects at least once, they can fuse with Legendary Knight Timaeus for a monster in my Extra Deck!”

            _“No. No, this can’t be. Please,”_ Geh pleaded. _“You have no idea what you’re ruining if you complete this summon!”_

            The pharaoh thought for a beat on why the overbearing monster would fear anything in such a desperate way despite its earlier haughtiness. He shook his head. The fate of humanity rested upon the summon. He would not be swayed by the serpent’s manipulation again. “Fusion Summon!”

            The pharaoh thrust his palm upward. Though dark, damp, and dripping, he knew beyond the ceiling lay the endless sky he would see again soon. “I combine Legendary Knight Timaeus, Legendary Knight Hermos, and Legendary Knight Critias to create the Legendary Knight of Destiny!”

            Timaeus, Critias, and Hermos crossed swords and aimed the points at the ceiling. The trio transformed into a sword of light, which sliced open the sky. A rip formed in reality. The pharaoh saw what appeared to be a dark sea beyond the tear. A figure fell through the rip, which zipped shut.

            The knight’s dark cape, bronze-gold armor, and gleaming white blade piqued the pharaoh’s memory. His breath caught. The knight took the same rigid stance as the first time the pharaoh had seen it. It hoisted its blade above its shoulder in both hands and angled the tip towards Divine Serpent Geh’s heart. The ancient and powerful aura the pharaoh had felt from the knight upon their first meeting hadn’t lied; its attack and defense hovered beside its display: ∞.

            “You may think yourself untouchable,” the pharaoh said, “but I have the power to match you!”

            Divine Serpent Geh’s low-pitched hiss resembled a wail. _“Do not follow through, Nameless Pharaoh. I know you are cruel, but I beg of you. Do not kill her.”_

            His curiosity got the better of him. “Kill who?”

            The snake’s tail slithered behind his monster and snapped at the knight’s head. Rough scales _ding_ ed against the helmet, which bounced against the floor once, twice, three times before rolling to a stop at the foot of a pillar.

            A curtain of white hair tumbled free over the knight’s shoulders. The pharaoh stepped forward and exclaimed, “ _Rahlin_?”

            Her sword lowered. A methodical, practiced step out of her stance angled her towards him. A chill raced down his spine. The neutral stare of her two eyes burned a hole through him. A green, six-pointed star marked her left eye where a pupil should have been. The color mixture altered the iris to turquoise.

            “You- your eyes, and you can walk. You’re the knight. You’re the one who led me to Timaeus!”

            Geh’s head swiveled towards her. His eyes slit. _“You claimed Timaeus, Critias, and Hermos’s cards disappeared of their own volition.”_

            Rahlin returned to her defensive stance. “Did you think I had forgiven you?”

            The statement burst with vitriol knowing no end. That and the ancient aura radiating from her told the pharaoh Rahlin’s monster form wasn’t the exact same as the woman who had brought him a miniature pie. Divine Serpent Geh roared, _“Traitor! You aided our greatest enemies behind my back!”_

            “They were of no consequence at the time,” she stated. “Thousands of years ago, you cursed my closest friends. You told me they could only be freed by humans embodying the traits the knights were known for: Hermos, Knight of Serenity; Critias, Knight of Conviction; and Timaeus, Knight of Purity. After the Great Leviathan’s fall, you offered me a chance to walk among the humans again in order to erase their species. That was secondary. My first priority was always waking the dragons.”

            _“A foolish advocate for the humans,”_ Geh hissed. _“You never wanted to see them fall.”_

            Rahlin broke the rigidness of her stance to shake her head. “Incorrect. I put up with you and slaved with the Seal of Orichalcos to reap souls. Mankind is evil. Your plan may not have been my _top_ priority, but it still was one. I didn’t have to give the Egyptian prince Legend of Heart. I didn’t have to give away the Legendary Knights, and I didn’t have to see my own card leave my hands.”

            _“Why?”_ Geh demanded. _“Why are you on the opposite field now, my child? Why do you defy our perfect world?”_

            The venom fled from her tone. Warm kindness filled the void. Rahlin said, “A change of heart.”

            The pharaoh could only gaze at her, the girl who had coldly stolen the souls of some of his closest friends. She tossed her head back and snapped, “What are you waiting for? I’ll lay out the facts for you, prince. Your opponent has one monster on the field: Divine Serpent Geh with infinite attack. If Geh leaves the field, you win the duel. You have two monsters: Dark Magician Girl with 2000 attack and Legendary Knight of Destiny with infinite attack. If Dark Magician Girl leaves the field, you lose the duel. You’re a smart man. You know the path to victory.”

            “Mutual destruction,” he said. “But what will happen to you, Rahlin?”

            “You should be happy to see one of your enemies go,” she said.

            “You’re not my enemy. You’re my friend!”

            Rahlin’s arms slacked. She gave him a bittersweet smile. “Prince. I appreciate the sentiment, but you can’t sway me. Timaeus was an unrivaled swordsman. Geh there was able to land a blow on him anyway. It wasn’t because he suddenly gained the prowess to defeat Timaeus. It was because he aimed for me knowing Timaeus would protect me. I’ve lived with my failures for an eternity. Please, please allow me to do whatever I can to right them.”

            He shouted, “Why does that have to mean you become another victim?”

            Her smile didn’t leave. “Fate enjoys working in lovely little ironies. Call your attack. Afterward, take my sword and stab the monument behind Dartz. You’ll free everyone that way.”

            _“Reconsider, my child,”_ Geh said. Its body curled around her feet. _“You would throw away all our progress? You would allow someone such as Seto Kaiba to live a luxurious life despite the pain he caused you?”_

            Rahlin glanced at Kaiba’s body. “For a time, I blamed Critias for charging you without heeding Timaeus’s warning. If we had all gone in together, I figured we may have won without curses or casualties. I realized I couldn’t hold it against him. We act to our natures and make mistakes accordingly. Look at me – look at what I’ve done. Who would I be to hold a grudge?”

            _“Are you truly the chosen of purity?”_ Geh asked the pharaoh. _“You would see an innocent monster die by your hands?”_

            The pharaoh raised his chin. “I would see atonement fulfilled. I enter my Battle Phase!”

            “I wonder if you could respect a last wish of mine,” Rahlin murmured. It was the first time since her summoning her voice had wavered. “Please don’t tell anyone about this, prince. I do not want anyone to twist this to make me some sort of hero. I want to fade from the world such that all the hurt I’ve created may follow suit.”

            He considered bringing up the positive impacts she’d had, but he understood there was no use. If they were her last breaths, who was he to deny their desires?

            Geh roared at Rahlin, _“This changes nothing for you. You will remain a broken, empty shell of a monster. Your pain will never fade, and you will be a failure forever. You’re no different from the other puppet DOMA members. For all the work I put into manipulating you, you earned negative payout.”_

            Her grip tightened on her hilt. “What do you mean ‘manipulating?’”

            _“The act of altering a person’s life to drive them to DOMA,”_ he said, _“such as the mysterious absence of Rafael’s family causing him to attach himself to Duel Monsters, the untimely death of Alister’s younger brother, or the wrongful criminal charge assigned to Valon landing him in detention centers his entire childhood. Altering Mai Valentine’s fate was even simpler. A message lost in delivery every now and again… calls oddly failing.”_

            The pharaoh’s eyes widened. “That was all _you_?”

            _“Yes, Nameless Pharaoh, yes. Shaping your kind is an entertaining hobby, and I take much pride in my work. The knight standing before you is my crowning achievement.”_

            “Just what have you done to Rahlin?”

            _“Her experiences in life as an abused outcast made her prime material for the job in advance, I knew. She had to be pushed over the edge she was already on. The perfect opportunity presented itself. Her worst enemy captured her beloved pet cat and threw the animal into the ocean. With her reflexes, she would have been able to save it. The hope provided from that victory just wouldn’t do. I dragged the cat down inch by inch. It may not have been far, but it was enough to stop it from ever drawing breath again.”_

            Palpable rage radiated from Rahlin. The pharaoh attempted to form comforting words. Before he could, Rahlin shouted, “Divine Serpent Geh! For horrific crimes against the innocent, for mass destruction across Atlantis, and for the generations of suffering at your hands, you face execution. What do you say in your defense?”

            _“Die.”_

            She returned his snarl. The pharaoh said, “What about you, Rahlin? Don’t you have any last words?”

            “…I enjoyed your world, prince. It is my honor to battle on your behalf.”

            Heartrending pain twisted his chest. His mouth twitched down wildly. He shut his eyes and shook his head. “Legendary Knight of Destiny attacks Divine Serpent Geh! _Soaring Execution_!”

            Wings of light sprouted from Rahlin’s shoulder blades, the same that had allowed the pharaoh and Yugi to pull the sword from dragon Timaeus’s eye. He recalled the brilliant shimmer of Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon. A single wingbeat catapulted her into the air.

            Geh reared its head. Rahlin soared forth at incomprehensible speeds. Geh’s forward jolt matched them. Rahlin drove her blade through the back of the serpent’s throat. Geh snapped its jaw shut. A _snap_ sounded. Rahlin screamed.

            The knight and serpent fell to the earth. A broken fang impaled Rahlin’s midsection, and her white blade remained in Geh’s throat. Her hands wrapped around the giant tooth. Sweat poured down her face. Geh’s eyes rolled to whites.

            She noticed the pharaoh watching her. Though Rahlin’s breaths weren’t any less heavy, her pained expression evened. She flashed a grin.

            The two monsters shattered like all the rest.

            Rahlin’s white blade clattered against the stone. The pharaoh took the sword in shaking hands. He wondered if her last smile would ever leave him. He hoped not.

            He strode up the stairs. Geh’s human vessel, Dartz, had faded with the monsters. Three stone snakes with open maws rested beneath a large statue resembling a face. The god cards rested upon their tongues.

            The pharaoh stared up at the larger sculpture behind them. He climbed onto the altar, took the stance the Legendary Knight of Destiny had, and plunged the sword into the figure.

            The blade glowed white and sunk into stone like a knife into butter. Shining cracks formed in the face. The torches extinguished. Green light within the cracks illuminated the darkness.

            Hundreds of tiny, green orbs flew from the broken sculpture. The voices of the souls joined in a chorus of joy at their renewed freedom. One stopped above Kaiba and dripped into his torso. The pharaoh watched them whiz by with lightness and heaviness battling within.

            The souls ceased. The snakes’ eyes glimmered. Power leaked into the three Egyptian god cards. The cracks retreated into the hilt of Rahlin’s sword. The torches lit again. He pulled the blade back, which weighed less than before. The sight pinched his face.

            A silver cane sat in his hands instead of the knight’s sword.

            The pharaoh retrieved his restored god cards and turned around. The area was empty except for Kaiba and a white slip of paper in front of the stairs. He picked up what appeared to be a letter and tucked it into his jacket. The pharaoh placed the cane on the ground. He couldn’t take it and carry Kaiba. At the same time, he felt as though it should lay at rest in that place.

            He threw Kaiba’s arm over his shoulder and struggled out of the temple. The portal took him to the empty DOMA boardroom. The automatic lights flickered on. He left Kaiba in the head chair, rode the elevator to the lobby, and exited the DOMA building.

            Tiny green lights crossed the blue sky like daytime shooting stars. A large screen attached to a nearby building displayed a female newscaster. “According to KaibaCorp sources, the results of the final duel are in from the involved duel disks! Yugi Muto once again comes out on top with Seto Kaiba taking a close second! Additional information to follow. The ‘sleepers,’ masses of unconscious duelists flooding Domino City hospitals as of late, are waking up! It’s a day of miracles!”

            An orb dropped from the sky and swirled into the pharaoh’s Millennium Puzzle. The transparent form of his partner appeared before him and swallowed breaths. Yugi patted his chest. “I’m here! I’m alive!”

            “Yugi,” he muttered. “I’m… I’m so glad to see you.”

            “Huh? You don’t look glad at all! What’s wrong, pharaoh? What happened? Why are you crying?”

            He watched the lights dashing across the sky. He had to stop. This was exactly why she had smiled – to reassure him everything would turn out alright. He had to stop crying. He had to stop for her.

            A tear streaked his cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Below are the details of the original card appearing in this chapter:
> 
> Legendary Knight of Destiny
> 
> 12-Star, LIGHT Attribute
> 
> [Warrior/Fusion/Effect] [∞ ATK / ∞ DEF]
> 
> This card cannot be Special Summoned except by banishing "Legendary Knight Timaeus," "Legendary Knight Critias," and "Legendary Knight Hermos" on your field after "Legendary Knight Critias" and "Legendary Knight Hermos" have activated their effects at least once. This card cannot be destroyed by Spells and Traps.


	15. Persistent Emotions

            The sunshine struck Mai as strange. She clutched the bag of belongings she had picked up from the hospital. A search of the other rooms told her Joey had already checked out. The other DOMA members were nowhere to be found.

            She started towards her apartment. How long had she been out? Felt like months of darkness. The thought of her cat, Elegant, sped up her gait. She passed by televisions, which displayed newscasters babbling about the return of KaibaCorp and fall of DOMA. The CEO Dartz disappeared, sources claimed.

            Mai sprinted up the stairs to her apartment. She jiggled the key to open the door faster. The expected scent of a rotting animal was absent from the place, however. Elegant sashayed up to her looking normal as ever.

            The place was tidier than Mai had left it. Two bowls of food and three bowls of water rested on the kitchen floor. Mai’s brow furrowed. She called, “Kid? Are you there?”

            No response. She wandered about the place but found no traces of Rahlin’s presence. Something suspicious caught her eye. Her bed had been made and her messy sheets smoothed.

            A slip of paper sat on her pillow, and the Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon plushie Mai had bought rested beside it. The note’s handwriting was shaky and barely legible. Reminded Mai of a third grader’s writing. She squinted as she made out the words:

 

_i will never forget the kindness you shared with me_

 

            Mai’s arm lowered. She gazed out her bedroom window and mumbled, “Where’d you go, kid?”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Torchlight danced the man’s shadow on the walls. He threaded his fingers together and observed the object floating before him. A purple diamond levitated in front of an altar laden with stone snakes. The violet, see-through cage was the perfect size to hold the girl suspended within.

            Rahlin’s body floated as though drifting in water. Firelight shone in the reflection of the man’s turquoise and gold eyes. He sneered. “Stupid monster. You stab me in the back not once but twice. I’ll not be making that mistake when I try next. Your desires may have changed; mine never will.”

            He removed the Orichalcos pendant around his neck. The six-pointed star glowed bright green. “I cannot have you leaking the truth. You are connected to this human form, Knight of Destiny. By removing your memories of this experience, you shall return to your state before coming to Domino City.”

            Dartz cast the pendant towards Rahlin’s body. Runes glimmered in a circle around the violet diamond in reaction to his chants. The last word in the ancient language completed the new ritual.

            The suspended body twitched its fingers. Its mouth formed a frown. A gentle light drifted from Rahlin into the pendant. Dartz dropped the necklace beside the silver cane on the ground.

            He turned his back on Rahlin. “I hope you feel your human vessel rotting from the Spirit World.”

            Dartz walked away. His foot kicked aside something. His brow lifted as he picked up the half-white, half-black mask. Curious, but he did have many unusual visitors during what was meant to be humanity’s last duel. Dartz tossed aside the mask and phased away from the ruins.

            Rahlin’s body lingered in deathly silence.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            The pharaoh’s spirit leaned upon the railing. He imagined the breeze hitting his face. His back faced a row of apartment doors. His partner, Yugi, shifted from foot to foot in front of the last room on the level. Yugi grasped the Millennium Puzzle around his neck and frowned.

            “Um, hey, I have an idea!” Yugi said. “How about you ask him?”

            “He’s your friend, Yugi.”

            “He’s our friend! Aren’t you worried about him, too?”

            His shoulders caved inward. He watched the ground far below. “I’m not in a chatting mood.”

            “That’s what you’ve been saying for the last two weeks. You sure you don’t want to talk about it?”

            To respect the knight’s wishes, he said, “I am certain.”

            Yugi’s head drooped. “Bummer. I thought you might talk to Bakura, because he’s been acting strange since around the same time you have.”

            “It couldn’t be for the same reason,” the pharaoh said. He spun on his heel. “Could it be the Spirit of the Ring?”

            “Nah. He hasn’t been acting suspicious, just sort of sad.”

            The pharaoh turned away. “I won’t be of any help.”

            A few deep breaths later, Yugi reached for the door and prepared his bright smile. The door cracked open a few seconds after his knock. Bakura peeked out and, noticing Yugi, swung the door wide. His smile took effort accentuated by the deep shadows beneath his eyes. “Oh! Hello. Would you like to come in? I can make tea.”

            “No, thanks! I’m here to invite you out instead! Professor Hawkins sent us a note about breakthroughs in his Atlantian studies, so we’re headed to the museum to meet up with everyone. Er, that is, _I’m_ headed to the museum. Haha. Ha. A-anyway, want in?”

            His focus drifted to the city behind Yugi. Orange and purple followed the sunset behind the skyline. “I suppose I should… leave the house. Give me a moment.”

            After he shut the door, Yugi gave the pharaoh a big smile. He acknowledged Yugi’s success with a nod and said, “Perhaps you can discover what’s wrong.”

            Bakura exited wearing a dark jacket over his typical blue-and-white striped shirt. He allowed Yugi the lead without saying a word. The pharaoh lingered behind the two of them and observed. At the base of the complex’s staircase, Yugi made his first attempt: “Ummm. How have you been?”

            “So-so.”

            “Summer not treating you well?”

            “Oh, it’s been a wonderful summer,” he said. “It’s simply difficult to accept that all good things must wind to their end.”

            The pharaoh flinched at the statement. He was glad Yugi’s focus was solely on Bakura, who watched the streaks of cloud cover. Yugi asked, “Is it anything you want to talk about?”

            “Hm?”

            “It seems like something’s got you down, is all!”

            That smile graced Bakura’s face. “I appreciate the thought. I’m not sure I’m quite ready to go in-depth, however.”

            Yugi glanced back at the pharaoh in a panic. The pharaoh could only shrug his shoulders. Yugi slouched in double defeat. He did not make any more attempts on the walk to the museum.

            Spotlights shone on large banners hanging from the rafters advertising the Egyptian and Atlantian exhibits. The pharaoh was not fussed about either of them. He knew the answer to his memories was now accessible with Dartz’s – no, _Geh_ ’s – control over the tablet gone.

            After the events of the last duel, however, he had requested some time to recover before showing the restored god cards. He’d had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that victories require sacrifice. Whatever sacrifice he would have to make in Egypt scared him; he had only just recovered his friends and lost one forever.

            Yugi’s group peered into a display case. He waved and jogged towards them. “Hey, guys! I brought Bakura!”

            Téa, Tristan, Duke, Serenity, Joey, and Mai welcomed the duo with a return of Yugi’s wave. Bakura took a sudden interest in the tiles beneath his feet. Yugi ran ahead of him and asked, “What are you guys looking at?”

            “They have translations for all the exhibits now!” Serenity said.

            “Those Atlantians were into some weird stuff,” Tristan said. “Salt boats? Whack.”

            Joey snorted. “Weird as stealin’ _souls_?”

            “Can we agree to forget about that whole thing?” Duke said.

            “I’ll try my damnedest! I’m jus’ glad them DOMA freaks disappeared. Er, not includin you, of course, Mai.”

            “Smooth,” she joked. “They at least had the decency to say good-by. All except for… hm. Never mind.”

            “Yugi Muto! You’ve made it!” Professor Arthur Hawkins approached the gathered group. Rebecca embraced Yugi and planted a kiss on his cheek. The pharaoh was pleased to see her happiness return after her outburst in the absence of her father and Yugi. “We’ve made unbelievable breakthroughs thanks to an anonymous donation! I’ve even deciphered the letter you left me!”

            Yugi’s brow furrowed. “Letter?”

            He and the pharaoh locked eyes. The pharaoh said, “It was an important note. May I read it?”

            The two swapped places. He felt Yugi’s presence in the Puzzle and offered a prayer of thanks for his partner’s respect of privacy. Hawkins handed the pharaoh the letter left behind from the last duel’s end.

            The Professor said, “It was my easiest work. The donation was a working translation of the Atlantian symbols to English. The tablets here were difficult because some of the symbols are written with different curvatures from the donated journal. The letter you submitted, however, matched the style of the journal.”

            The pharaoh grasped the corners of the translation. “Do you have any hints as to who made the donation?”

            “None. The translations were proved correct very simply, though. Whoever they are will advance our studies into ancient Atlantian culture by leaps and bounds. I wish I had a way to thank them.”

            The pharaoh shared the Professor’s wish. After making sure the others were preoccupied, he peeled open Rahlin’s letter.

 

\--- 

            _Hey, Ranue._

_I’m writing you because I’m trapping myself into watching the ground instead of the trees again, and you always reminded me to look for the sky. I have a predicament, and I’m wanting to be selfish._

_I dreaded living in this world and I dreaded coming back to it. There are too many people. The crowds are suffocating and their stares are irritating as rashes. It could be so much better._

_Then there are the images I try to deny. A shared pie when I thought I couldn’t find joy. An outstretched hand when I believed I’d never stand again. A rainbow in a world my warped reality said was black and white._

_If I give myself away, I know, in the end, it will come down to me facing destruction. That’s why I said I want to be selfish. I want to have a duel with those silly comments from the sidelines again. I want to watch a funny movie over glasses of wine again. I want to see the beautiful night lights from a spot in the sky again._

_But if I hold back, what I love most about this world – the people in it – will disappear._

_As a Knight, it is my duty to do what is right and my honor to uphold it. I haven’t let go of my spoiled princess attitude, though. Well! Here I go, being responsible and holding myself accountable for the decisions I made. You taught me well, brother._

_The infinite beauty within the diversity of humanity is worth any sacrifice. I make this decision with unrivaled confidence. When I reach the afterlife, I hope to see you there._

_My name is Rahlin Orichalcum, and I bid you farewell._

 

 ---

            The pharaoh cupped his mouth and folded the letter closed with his other hand. He shouldn’t have tried to read it. She had all the closure in the worlds. Her last smile had said as much. Why should he have need for the same?

            Why did he?

            “E-excuse me!”

            The pharaoh immediately held the note against his chest. Bakura hadn’t addressed him, though. His focus was squarely on Professor Hawkins and his little black notebook.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            Ryo couldn’t look away from Rahlin’s journal. The pages he and she had scrawled through lay in Professor Hawkins’s hands. Ryo asked, “You say the translations are in that journal, yes?”

            “I don’t believe I’ve said that, but it is true!”

            “Could… could I ask for something to be translated? It’s very short, I promise.”

            Both Yugi and the Professor pinned him with curious eyes. This would be one of the rare occasions where drawing attention didn’t matter compared to the purpose. Yugi asked, “How do you have Atlantian writing?”

            “It’s a silly little thing, I’m sure,” Ryo murmured. He retrieved a folded napkin from his jacket pocket. The symbols were written beneath his realistic drawing of a heart; in the corner rested a symbolic heart.

            “My, my, that _is_ short!” the Professor said. He flipped open the journal. Ryo caught glimpses of his and Rahlin’s writing. To think it was all for this. Hawkins set about matching the runes to words.

            Ryo longed to touch the journal. Ever since the disappearance, he started having trouble convincing himself whether all their moments were real or not. He held the napkin and the symbols she wrote close.

            They were all he had left.

            Hawkins squinted and tapped his pencil against the paper in a eureka gesture. He scanned the words. His smile was the definition of warmth. Ryo’s heart outpaced his body. “Did you figure it out?”

            “I believe so! Yes, this matches perfectly. The curves of the letters are the same as the translation similar to young Yugi’s letter. They could be transplanted over each other and match perfectly! Ah, yes, how sweet. The words translate to ‘I love you.’”

            He was shaking all over, all over, and he could do nothing about it. Tears cascaded down his cheeks. Yugi reached for him and stopped halfway. “Bakura? What’s wrong?”

            Ryo snatched the napkin back and sprinted out of the museum. His tears trailed behind him. He thought of where to go and couldn’t. His feet carried him anywhere; away from everything.

            Needles pricked his chest. Ryo grimaced and sprinted faster. Pointless, he knew, but he couldn’t prevent his flight reaction.

            He slammed open a wooden door and dashed inside a building. His feet passed rows of pews. The sharp digging into the skin of his abdomen worsened. He screamed, “Please! Please, no, anything but this!”

            _HOW CAN I RESIST WHEN YOU MAKE IT SO EASY?_

            Ryo grabbed his temples. The lit candles in the church extinguished. The stabs in his chest intensified. Ryo ground his teeth. Warm, sticky fluid slithered down his stomach. A yellow glow in the shape of a ring appeared below his collarbone. “Stop!”

            _WHY SHOULD I WHEN YOU’VE CREATED SO MANY MENTAL FRACTURES FOR ME TO CRAWL THROUGH? OH, BUT YOU’RE LUCKY. SHE DIED BEFORE I COULD KILL HER._

            A last stream of tears stained his cheeks before the golden ring materialized, and he lost all control.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/

            _Splash_!

            Her body drifted. Rays of sunlight sliced into the water from the surface. She opened her eyes. She fought for air. Saltwater flooded her lungs. She shut her mouth and clawed towards the sun.

            Her head broke the surface. Gravity flipped and forced her into freefall. Ripples resounded from where she had nearly drowned. As the whistling wind tore at her wet clothes, her eyes widened in recognition. She was falling from the Spirit World’s seasky.

            She flipped midair and spread her limbs to slow her descent. Her long hair whipped wildly above her. The patchwork of the land spread far below: the tiny town, the cathedral, the wheat fields, the pavilion. At the edge of the world, azure seasky touched verdant grasslands. Tall spires to the east and west belittled all other objects. The stone tower to her right contained the bell to tell the passing of hours. The glittering, golden gate to her left was a new addition.

            A trio of monsters joined her flight. Red-Eyes Black Dragon soared to her right, Blue-Eyes White Dragon nosedived to her left, and Curse of Dragon spearheaded the triangle.

            A light blue figure jolted towards her from the ground. A dragon with fairy wings caught her in her arms. Ancient Fairy Dragon carried her over the small town. A group of gathered monsters watched. One waved at her enthusiastically as though in recognition – Dark Magician Girl. She offered a reluctant wave back.

            The three dragons broke away. Ancient Fairy Dragon flew towards the sparkling gold in the distance. Bars like a bird cage’s pierced the sky. The dragon dropped her in front of the open, front entrance. The rest was locked tight.

            “What is this place?” she asked.

            “The Gilded Gate,” Ancient Fairy Dragon answered. “We were commanded to create this place to lock you away unless you are needed for performing executions. Because you came so close to fulfilling your plan, my supervisor tells me you cannot be allowed pure freedom any longer.”

            “…Did I do something wrong? I’m sorry, I- I don’t know how I got up there. The last thing I remember is sitting at the pavilion near the dragon statues. I feel like I woke up from a dream. When I try to remember the minutiae, they slip away. But I must have done a terrible thing, right?”

            The dragon chuckled. A shivering sadness rung through it like the undertones in the faraway bells. “No, knight. No. You did the right thing. I wish it didn’t have to be this way. Don’t worry. They’re waiting for you.”

            Ancient Fairy Dragon’s large paw nudged her towards the entrance. She gulped. The grass gave way to dark dirt. The harmonious tune of the faraway bells reminded her of a funeral dirge. She took a step forward. The gate swung shut behind her and locked.

            The barren land went on and on. She stopped at the bottom of a hill and longed for the tall, emerald grasses she left behind. At the thought, the landscape changed. Lush grass sprung from the dirt. She curled her toes into the soft vegetation.

            Laughter rung in her ears. She sprinted over the hill to find its source. Her jaw dropped. She ran towards the trio, who stopped their outburst at her approach.

            “Hey, hey! Look who made it!” Hermos showed a toothy grin.

            “We were beginning to worry,” Timaeus said. “Did something keep you?”

            She patted their arms to be sure. Timaeus eyed her while Hermos backed away with a fearful glance. Critias gave his typical, cold glare from afar. Tears built in her eyes. “I-it’s really you. You guys are back. You’re back to yourselves, and you’re really here!”

            She bawled into the heels of her hands. Critias huffed. “Great. The general turned into a weakling while we were gone.”

            “Er, you okay?” Hermos asked. “This really ain’t like you.”

            “Stop it with the stupid accent,” Critias snapped.

            “Hey! I’ll have you know I liked my chosen duelist! Maybe I wanna be like him a little bit.”

            “I didn’t think you could be more insufferable,” Critias said.

            She smiled through her tears. “It’s like nothing changed. I’m- I’m so happy!”

            “We may not have changed much, but _you_ certainly have,” Timaeus said.

            “Yeesh. Since when are you happy ‘n’ sentimental ‘n’… anything but hateful ‘n’ scary, really?”

            Critias folded his arms over his chest. “Her time with the humans ruined her.”

            “So, you have to tell me!” she exclaimed. “How did this happen? How are you back?”

            They stared. She stared back. Timaeus broke the silence. “You did this. You saved us.”

            Her eyebrows scrunched. She pointed to herself. Hermos said, “Yeah, you! What’s the matta? You take some head trauma on your way in or somethin?”

            She looked to the sky she had fallen from. “Could you tell me what happened?”

            “Unfortunately, no,” Timaeus said. “We were only present for sparse few moments. I recall images such as bowing to you during a duel in my draconic form. Does that sound familiar?”

            She shook her head. Hermos said, “C’mon! Domino City? Joey Wheeler? Seto Kaiba? Yugi Muto?”

            “I don’t know what any of those words mean,” she said.

            “Then why are you acting like a blithering fool?” Critias asked.

            Her hands folded over her beating heart. “It’s hard to explain. I have all this happiness and this special kind of warmth I’ve never known before. It’s kind of a… a giddy, light feeling, I dunno!”

            She giggled. Hermos and Timaeus exchanged glances. Critias scoffed and walked away. Hermos grinned, saying, “I’m likin’ the new Rain!”

            Her smile slacked. The name “Rain” sounded wrong. It belonged to somebody else, she thought, but she had no way to correct him. She was sure she had her own name once. No use. The memory wasn’t there.

            Whatever. They could call her anything they liked.

            “I know you were there,” Timaeus said. “You were in Domino City. Perhaps your mind has been tampered with, but emotions have an incredible way of persisting. I know because I felt them even during my cursed time.”

            “Aw, yeah,” Hermos said. “Even my statue self felt so bad about leaving you all alone.”

            She grinned. “Everything’s okay now!”

            “This is a nice surprise – I’ll dub it the ‘Domino Incident,’” Timaeus said. “I expected you to be downcast and solemn, especially considering your former state. I assumed the years would worsen the damage rather than repair it.”

            Her stare drifted up to the blue sky. The snapshot of a deeper sapphire and pale clouds past the swaying branches of an apple tree filled her mind’s eye. Her heart swelled with a sensation of being so, so alive and looking forward to every day. She said, “There are ways to enjoy life even after tragedy.”

            A tear pricked the corner of her right eye.

            She wiped it away; the emotion was nonsensical. If anything, she felt happy to have her friends back. A thought persisted and bothered and protested:

 

_I just wish I could_

_remember what they are._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BGM: My Long Forgotten Cloistered Sleep - Yuki Kajiura and Emily Bindinger
> 
> Thanks to anyone who followed along and gave kudos, bookmarks, etc! It means a lot! :D


End file.
